Imagine the ultimate one-stop shopping trip, where fashions from Abercrombie & Fitch are on a rack next to clothes from J. Crew.

Then check the price tags: $14 for a Gap sweater? $10 for a button-down from American Eagle Outfitters?

No, this isn't the dream of some style-conscious college student. It's Plato's Closet, a resale chain that sells used, gently worn name brand clothing, and it opened Dec. 19 in the North Atherton Wal-Mart Plaza.

"It's one place you can come to — that parents and students can come to — and find all the name brands in one area," manager Kari Logel said. "You can really buy three times as much clothing for same money."

That's because the store, which caters to teens and college students, carries all types of trendy apparel, outerwear, shoes and accessories at about 70 percent savings.

"We've had the best turnout, between the college students and the high school students and the parents," Logel said. "We've just been busier than we ever expected.

Aside from saving students money by offering discount name brands, Plato's Closet also presents them with the opportunity to add to their funds. Students can cash in clothing and get paid on the spot. All the risk and pressure for the items to sell, Logel said, is on the store itself. Logel said the general buyback process takes roughly 15 to 20 minutes. The only thing the store asks is that all items are freshly laundered and brought in paper bags, boxes or laundry baskets as opposed to plastic.

Once the clothing is brought to the store, the first step involves a careful examination of the quality of the items, which includes checking for fading, discoloration, missing buttons and broken zippers. If the quality is acceptable, employees then check the name brand and style. Some labels, such as Eddie Bauer, are considered more adult, and the store does not accept all items from the brand. It also, for example, will turn away straight leg and taper leg jeans as well as pleated pants and skirts.

"We know that they just wouldn't sell," Logel said. "They're more of a mature style."

In addition to monitoring the types of fashions it sells, Logel said the store also has ways of determining if certain styles are outdated. One method involves checking a picture book of clothing labels. Anything with an old white Express label, for example, isn't accepted. But, if the clothing does pass the test, sellers immediately receive 35 percent of the price at which the workers list the item. All pricing is based on a five-grade buying matrix, with certain brands set at certain grades and sale prices determined by the type of clothing.

"The idea's great," said Jessie Luyando (junior-letters, arts and sciences). "It's a really good way to make money and a good way to get rid of your junk."

But, as the idea behind Plato's Closet and its success so far indicates, what's one person's junk is someone else's treasure.