PLATO'S CLOSET: ANTIOCH, TN

Owner: Khalilah Brooks, discusses her Winmark journey

How did you come to own a Winmark franchise?

I bought my Once Upon a Child store in 1999. The franchise was owned by Grow Biz at the time which is now Winmark. (That’s how old I am!!!). The operations of the stores and the inventory we carried has changed vastly over the years!

I worked my way up in the company. I started off as a regular sales associate, became a buyer, then a keyholder and so forth. Advice for new owners, communicate with your FOM, buy, buy, buy, but make sure it’s good product and always make sure customers service is top priority!

What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you first opened your store?

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Employees can give you the biggest headache, but always remember they come and go.

Have you implemented any new tactics to keep your staff motivated and to help with employee retention?

LMS (Learning Management System) is new, but I LOVE IT! None of us can ever get enough training!

How has the partnership with JMM benefited your business?

Working with JMM has been awesome. I love my account manager, she’s awesome! Any new ideas I need, she’s always there to give me great ideas or that extra push and not to mention my sales have increased since I’ve been working with JMM.