<PAGE>



  ONE PRICE CLOTHING STORES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
<TABLE>
<S>                       <C>
  EXHIBIT 10(q)           Employment Agreement dated November 10, 1997 and Amendment to Employment Agreement
                          dated April 16, 1998 between the Registrant and A.J. Nepa.
</TABLE>
  
                                               EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT



         THIS AGREEMENT,  made and entered into this 10th day of November, 1997,
by and between One Price Clothing Stores,  Inc., a Delaware corporation with its
principal place of business in Spartanburg County,  South Carolina,  hereinafter
referred  to as  "Employer,"  and  Alphonse  J. Nepa,  currently  a resident  of
Charlotte, State of North Carolina, hereinafter referred to as "Employee."

                                               W I T N E S S E T H :

         For and in  consideration  of the mutual  covenants and promises of the
parties  hereto and the  benefits  inuring to the parties  hereto,  Employer and
Employee agree as follows:


         1.  EMPLOYMENT.  Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement,
employer  employs  Employee as its Senior  Vice  President,  Merchandising,  and
Employee accepts such employment with Employer.  The employment  hereunder shall
commence on the date  Employee  reports for full time work,  and shall  continue
until terminated, as hereinafter provided.

         2. TERMINATION. The employment hereunder shall terminate at the will of
either party at any time, with or without cause, or upon the mutual agreement of
the parties hereto.

         3. DUTIES OF EMPLOYEE.  Employee shall serve Employer faithfully and to
the best of his ability.  Employee shall devote his full time and efforts to his
duties as an employee of Employer.

         4.  COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS.

                  (a) Salary.  For all services  rendered to Employer under this
         Agreement,  Employer  shall pay  Employee  an annual base salary of not
         less than  $215,000,  subject to annual  review,  payable in  bi-weekly
         installments in accordance with the usual payroll practice of Employer,
         less all legally required deductions.

                  (b)  Bonus.  In  addition  to the above  salary,  the Board of
         Directors of Employer, in its sole discretion, may award to Employee an
         annual bonus in  accordance  with a bonus plan that has been adopted by
         the Board of Directors.

                  (c) Special Stock Option.  Employee shall be granted an option
         for 20,000 shares of Employer's common stock at the market price on the
         day of grant,  exercisable  twenty (20%)  percent  annually  commencing
         twelve (12) months from the day of grant.  This option shall be granted
         on the day Employee reports for full-time work.

                  (d)  Other Benefits.

                           (i)      During the term of his employment,  Employee
                                    shall  be  entitled  to  participate  in all
                                    employee   benefits   as   are   customarily
                                    provided to its officers by Employer, and to
                                    participate in such other employee  benefits
                                    as may from  time to time be  instituted  by
                                    Employer's Board of Directors.

                           (ii)     Employee   shall   also   be   entitled   to
                                    reimbursement   of  all  reasonable   hotel,
                                    travel,  entertainment  and  other  business
                                    expenses  actually  incurred  by Employee in
                                    the  course of  Employee's  employment  upon
                                    submission   to  Employer  of   satisfactory
                                    documentation thereof.

                  (e) Moving Expenses.  Employer shall reimburse  Employee for 
         moving expenses and interim living and travel  expenses as set forth in
         the attachment hereto, entitled "OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT";

                  (f)  Employer  shall pay  Employee up to a total of  $(20,000)
         for:  (i)  documented  expenses for  brokerage  fees (up to 6%),and any
         similar  expenses  related to the sale of  Employee's  current home and
         (ii) loan  origination  fees (up to 1%) for the  purchase of a new one.
         This  payment will be made upon  presentation  of  documentation  on or
         after the first day of employment.

                  (g)  Payments Upon Termination.

                           (i)In the event  Employee is  terminated by Employer,
                  with or without cause, except for fraud, theft,  dishonesty or
                  criminal  intent,  Employer shall continue  Employee's  salary
                  following  Employee's  termination  for six (6)  months at the
                  annual  base  salary  in  effect  at the  date  of  Employee's
                  termination,  payable  in  accordance  with  Employer's  usual
                  payroll practices.

                           (ii)In the event Employee voluntarily  terminates his
                  employment   with  Employer,   he  shall  be  entitled  to  no
                  additional  payment upon such termination  other than any then
                  accrued  but unpaid  salary,  vacation  pay,  or other  normal
                  reimbursement items.


               5.  CONFIDENTIAL  INFORMATION.  Employee  acknowledges  that
     during  his  employment  he will have  access to  confidential  information
     belonging to the Employer.  Such confidential  information shall consist of
     all information disclosed to Employee as a result of employment by Employer
     not  generally  known in the retail  business in which  Employer is engaged
     including information concerning Employer's suppliers, including the costs,
     quantities and types of goods supplied, and the identity of such suppliers;
     information  concerning the Employer's  marketing  and/or sales strategy or
     plans;  real estate strategy and expansion plans;  all pricing  information
     relating to merchandise  offered for sale by Employer;  customers' list and
     all  information  dealing with customers'  needs or  preferences;  all data
     processing  information;  all  financial  information  including  financial
     statements,  financing  plans and  forecasts,  and any and all  information
     designated or marked as confidential. Employee will not use or disclose, or
     otherwise make available, such confidential information to any other person
     or entity without prior express written consent of Employer,  either during
     or following the termination of Employee's employment.  Upon termination of
     employment,  Employee  shall turn over to Employer all property then in his
     possession or custody belonging to Employer and shall not retain any copies
     or  reproductions  of  correspondence,   memoranda,   reports,   notebooks,
     drawings,  photographs,  or  other  documents  relating  in any  way to the
     affairs of Employer. 

         6. NON-COMPETITION.

                  (a) Upon  termination of Employee's  employment with Employer,
         whether  voluntary or  involuntary,  and whether with or without cause,
         Employee  will  not,  for a period  of one (1) year  from  date of such
         termination,  conduct or engage in,  directly or  indirectly,  alone or
         jointly,  with any other person or  corporation  as agent,  consultant,
         employee, manager, purchaser, proprietor,  stockholder,  co-partner, or
         otherwise,  any type of "Off-price" retail apparel business whose price
         points  and/or   customer  base  could   reasonably  be  considered  in
         competition with the business of Employer, either now or at the time of
         such termination.  Ceiling price points and single price point concepts
         shall be included.  This restriction  applies to the continental United
         States.

                  (b) Employee  agrees not to employ or cause to be employed any
         other  employee  of  Employer  for a period of three  (3)  years  after
         Employee's  termination of employment.  This restriction applies to any
         type of business which Employee may enter.

         7.  NOTICES.  All  notices,  consents,  changes  of  address  and other
communications (hereinafter referred to as "Notice(s)") required or permitted to
be made under the terms of this  Agreement  shall be in writing and shall be (i)
personally  delivered by an agent of the relevant Party, or (ii)  transmitted by
postage prepaid, certified or registered mail:
<TABLE>
<S>            <C>                  <C>
               To Employer:         One Price Clothing Stores, Inc.
                                    Post Office Box 2487
                                    Spartanburg, SC 29304

                To Employee:        Alphonse John Nepa
                                    4630 Montibello Drive
                                    Charlotte, NC 28226
</TABLE>

         8. WAIVER OF BREACH.  The waiver of Employer of a breach by Employee of
any provision of this Agreement shall not operate or be construed as a waiver of
any  subsequent  breach by Employee.  No waiver shall be valid unless in writing
and signed by any authorized officer of Employer.

         9. ASSIGNMENT.  Employee  acknowledges that the services to be rendered
         by Employee  are unique and  personal.  Accordingly,  Employee  may not
         assign any of Employee's rights or delegate any of Employee's duties or
         obligations  under  this  Agreement.  The  rights  and  obligations  of
         Employer under this Agreement  shall inure to the benefit of and all be
         binding upon the Employer, and its successors and assigns.

         10.  REPRESENTATIONS  AND  WARRANTIES.   Employee  expressly  confirms,
represents  and warrants to Employer that he is under no obligation to, or bound
by any  contract  with,  any person,  corporation  or other  entity  which would
prohibit  or in any  way  interfere  with  the  performance  of his  duties  and
obligations to Employer under this Agreement.  Employee  further  represents and
warrants that, to his knowledge, no litigation is pending or has been threatened
against  Employee or Employer as a result of Employee  accepting a position with
Employer.  Employee agrees to defend and indemnify  Employer against any and all
claims  by third  parties  against  Employer  arising  out of  Employee's  prior
employment.

         11. Release.  In the event of  termination,  and in  consideration  for
Employer's agreements  hereunder,  Employee agrees to execute a release in favor
of Employer in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Employer.

         12.  SEVERABILITY.  If any  provision  of this  Agreement as applied to
either party or to any  circumstance  shall be adjudged by a court to be invalid
or  unenforceable,  the same shall in no way affect any other  provision of this
Agreement,   or  the  application  of  each  provision  to  any  other  fact  or
circumstances.

         13.  ENTIRE  AGREEMENT,   MODIFICATION  OR  AMENDMENT.  This  Agreement
constitutes  the entire  agreement  of the parties  with  respect to its subject
matter and supersedes all prior oral or written  agreements.  This Agreement may
be modified or amended from time to time by the mutual  agreement of the parties
hereto.  No  modification  or amendment of this Agreement  shall be binding upon
either  party  unless it is in writing and  executed  by the party  sought to be
charged.

         14.   COUNTERPARTS.   This   Agreement  may  be  executed  in  one  or 
more counterparts, all of which taken together shall constitute one instrument.

         15.  CAPTIONS.  The  captions  contained  in  this  Agreement  are  for
reference  purposes  only  and  shall  not  affect  in any  way the  meaning  or
interpretation of this Agreement.

         16. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of South  Carolina,  without giving effect
to South  Carolina's  rules of conflicts of law, and  regardless of the place or
places of its physical execution and performance.

         17.  ENFORCEMENT.  This  Agreement  may only be  enforced in a court of
competent jurisdiction in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. Employee agrees to
submit to the  jurisdiction of a court of competent  jurisdiction in Spartanburg
County,  South  Carolina,  whether or not then residing in South  Carolina.  The
prevailing  party shall be entitled to recover  from the other party the cost of
any court action, including reasonable attorneys fees.



         IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as
of the date first above written.

<TABLE>
<S>                                                 <C>
Witnesses:                                           One Price Clothing Stores, Inc.

/s/ Diane O'Bryant                                   /s/  By: Larry I. Kelley    (SEAL)
                                                     Larry I. Kelley
                                                     President & CEO
As to Employer
                                                     "EMPLOYER"

/s/  Jill DuVze Nepa                                 /s/  Alphonse John Nepa     (SEAL)
                                                     Alphonse John Nepa
                                                     Senior Vice President,
                                                     Merchandising
--------------------------
As to Employee                                       "EMPLOYEE"
</TABLE>

                First Amendment to Employment Agreement Dated November 10, 1997
                 by and between One Price Clothing Stores, Inc. and A. J. Nepa

              ----------------------------------------------------------------



On November 10, 1997 Alphonse J. Nepa ( "Mr. Nepa" or  "Employee")  entered into
an employment  contract (the "Agreement")  with One Price Clothing Stores,  Inc.
("One Price" or "Employer").  Employer and Employee wish to amend such Agreement
as follows:

The Agreement  currently  provides for payments upon termination under the first
sentence in section 4. (g) (i) as follows:

         "In the event  Employee  is  terminated  by  Employer,  with or without
cause,  except for fraud, theft,  dishonesty or criminal intent,  Employer shall
continue  Employee's  salary  following  Employee's   termination  for  six  (6)
additional  months at the annual base salary in effect at the date of Employee's
termination, payable in accordance with Employer's usual payroll practices."

The  foregoing  provision  is hereby  amended by adding the  following  sentence
immediately after such first sentence in Section 4 (g) (i) of the Agreement:


         "In addition, provided Employee has diligently pursued another position
following his  involuntary  termination,  in the event  Employee has not taken a
position  with  another  Company by the end of such six months  from the date of
Employee's  involuntary  termination,  Employer  shall pay to  Employee up to an
additional six ( 6 ) months salary  continuation on a bi-weekly basis so long as
other  employment has not begun and Employee is continuing to pursue  diligently
another  position.  Employer  shall be entitled to receive from  Employee,  upon
request, reasonable proof of such diligent effort(s) to pursue another position,
failing which, such additional six months of salary shall cease".

Except as provided for herein by the foregoing  amendment,  the Agreement  shall
continue unchanged and in full force and effect.

IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of this
16th day of April, 1998.
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                   <C>
One Price Clothing Stores                                              Alphonse J. Nepa
By: /s/ Larry I. Kelley                                                /s/ Alphonse J. Nepa
    Larry I. Kelley                                                    "EMPLOYEE"
    President and C.E.O.
    "EMPLOYER"
</TABLE>