Successful Start-Ups: Sartell Man Launches On-Line Clothing Store

SARTELL - A Sartell man has taken his love for clothing and turned it into an on-line business. Darrin Pence was on the News  Noon Show on WJON today (Monday) for the "Successful Startups" segment.

He launched the website "The Wardrobe Vault" a few years ago.

I get clothing from multiple sources, I buy it at a discounted rate, and then I will turn around and sell it either on Ebay or on Amazon.

Pence says he generally sells the clothing 30-to-50 percent cheaper than a brick and mortar store. His merchandise is all stored at an Amazon warehouse, and shipped from there. Amazon then gets a share of the profit from the sales.

He runs the business full-time, while also being a stay-at-home dad to his two daughters. Pence says he handles everything for the company from buying, selling, promotion, social media, and more.

Pence has been working on his business for about three years now, and has some advice for anyone who might be thinking about starting their own internet company.

Start small. Test, test, test. Now is a fabulous time to test on Amazon. Quarter four is coming-up and it is huge. If you want to test products, it's a great time to test.

Pence says the Small Business Development Center on 5th Avenue in downtown St. Cloud was instrumental in advising him through the start-up process.

Pence says he's hoping to grow his business by developing a more comprehensive website, and possibly creating his own clothing line.