Once Upon A Child buys and sells gently used and new children’s clothing, toys, equipment and more! With over 415 stores open in North America we are the nations largest chain of children’s resale stores.
Children's , Retail Franchises
About Once Upon A Child
Once Upon A Child is the largest and most successful children’s resale franchise in North America. We sell gently-used clothing, shoes, toys, books, equipment and more, and are a trusted resource to young parents with kids aged newborn to 12 years old in the communities we serve. With incredible brand awareness, driven by locally owned and operated stores, we are a high volume, high margin business opportunity for the entrepreneur that wants to do good for the community while also doing good for the planet.
The stores range from 3,500 to 4,500 square feet and are in suburban centers and power strip malls. The franchise monitors recalls and safety standards to ensure the quality of its toys, equipment and other products. It also trains store owners on product safety. The point of sale system has a built in pricing matrix, allowing the franchisees and their team to simply enter the items on a touch screen monitor to get a price quote for the customer.
The stores pay cash on the spot to people who bring in gently used items purchased within the past couple of years. These items are then resold for 70% to 90% less than what the item would be new. No appointments are necessary for customers who wish to sell items, and they can sell all year round, no matter the season.
1991 (34 years)
-
$1,050,365
Franchise Fees
$25,000
5.0%
Gross Sales
$1,500
Fixed Fee per year
Why Once Upon A Child?
Once Upon A Child outpaces its competitors in the kids’ resale industry by a margin of three to one. Our average store volume and gross margins exceed our competition by a wide margin, and our franchise continues to be the fastest growing in the industry. Store owners receive an exclusive territory, usually a radius of three to five miles around the store. The company uses mapping software to weigh factors such as average household income, population density and traffic patterns to establish the boundaries of exclusive territories. In addition:
- The retail resale segment is hot right now, representing the fastest growing segment of retail today
- Environmentally-friendly business models are driving the green economy
- Recycling businesses focused on sustainability are on trend and growing, and are especially important to Gen Z and Millennial customers
- The shared economy represents the greatest opportunity for entrepreneurs now and in the near future
- The service resale retail stores provide to their customers makes us an important part of their communities
Despite the robust growth of Once Upon A Child, plenty of opportunities remain for new stores. The franchise website lists the cities/areas in each state that the company would like growth in.
Winmark, the parent company for Once Upon A Child, offers extensive training and support to store owners in areas such as business planning, pricing, styles and trends, retail site selection, marketing and advertising, and field operations.
Ideal Candidate
Once Upon A Child prefers that its franchisees serve as hands-on store owners and operators, although the company can give consent for a franchisee to delegate the duties. That’s necessary for those owners who have multiple locations. The candidate must be passionate about the brand, the good purpose we serve to our communities and the good we do for the planet. No prior retail experience is required – in fact, most of our franchisees had no retail experience prior to joining our franchise.
Winmark reports that many of its franchisees become multi-brand owners (with the brands available being Once Upon a Child, Play It Again Sports, Plato’s Closet, Style Encore and Music Go Round). Franchisees who are interested in this possibility may also make ideal candidates.
$287,400 - $420,300
$90,000
$400,000
