Once Upon A Child

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Once Upon A Child is a secondhand clothing store that buys and sells used clothing, shoes, toys, books, and other baby equipment. Currently, they have over 400 stores across the United States and Canada. While the company is a chain, stores are individually owned and operated.

Contents

History

Lynn and Dennis Blum started Once Upon A Child in 1984, opening their first store in Ohio. [1] The ideas for Once Upon A Child was to provide financial relief for parents who were constantly purchasing new items for their children due to their rapid growth rates. [2] They sold the franchise rights for Once Upon A Child to Winmark Franchise Cooperation in 1992. [1]

Clothing model

Once Upon a Child pays sellers same-day, in cash, for items sold to the store. [3] They do not offer any other form of payment, including store credit. Items brought to the store and checked against pre-determined guidelines which vary by location, but generally include condition, style, brand and safety standards. [3] Items accepted by the store are checked for product safety and measures all toys and other products against safety standards and recalls. [4] Clothes, accessories, and shoes normally accepted by the store must not be more than 5 years old, but this varies by item and location. [5] If a customer chooses to sell items, the store offers them a 15% discount on goods purchased that day. [5]

Locations

The first Once Upon A Child store was opened in Perrysburg, Ohio in 1984. [1] Since then, over 400 locations have opened across North America. [6]

Once Upon A Child Locations [7]
State/ProvinceNumber of StoresCities/Locations
United States
Alabama2Hoover, Madison
Alaska2Anchorage, Fairbanks
Arizona6Gilbert, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Tucson
Arkansas4Bentonville, Conway, Fayetteville, Jonesboro
California12Chico, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Modesto, Newark, Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga, Redding, Roseville, Sacramento, Tracy, Vacaville
Colorado8Arvada, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Greeley, Littleton, Longmont
Connecticut8Bristol, Danbury, Enfield, Manchester, Meriden, Orange, Waterbury, Wethersfield
Delaware2Dover, Wilmington
Florida31Altamonte Springs, Brandon, Cape Coral, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Jacksonville (4), Kissimmee, Lakeland, Largo, Melbourne, Naples, Ocoee, Orlando (3), Oviedo, Panama City, Pensacola, Port Charlotte, Royal Palm Beach, Sarasota, Stuart, Tampa (2), Vero Beach, Wesley Chapel, Winter Haven
Georgia12Austell, Buford, Canton, Columbus, Douglasville, Duluth, Gainesville, Jonesboro, Marietta, Newnan, Savannah, Snellville
Idaho2Idaho Falls, Twin Falls
Illinois10Bloomington, Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Elgin, Fairview Heights, Harwood Heights, Naperville, Orland Park, Rockford, Springfield
Indiana19Anderson, Bloomington, Carmel, Clarksville, Crown Point, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis (5), Lafayette, Mishawaka, Muncie, Schererville, Terre Haute, Valparaiso
Iowa5Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Davenport, Sioux City, Urbandale
Kansas1Overland Park
Kentucky8Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Florence, Lexington, Louisville (2), Owensboro, Paducah
Louisiana6Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Mandeville, Metairie, Monroe, Slidell
Maryland6Ellicott City, Gambrills, Glen Burnie, Salisbury, Timonium, Waldorf
Massachussetss2Seekonk, West Springfield
Michigan16Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Brighton, Canton, Flint, Jackson, Lansing, Monroe, Novi, Okemos, Portage, Saginaw, Traverse City, Troy, Walker, Wyoming
Minnesota15Anoka, Burnsville, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Mankato, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Rochester, Roseville, Saint Luis Park, Shakopee, Spring Lake Park, Waite Park, Woodbury
Mississippi4D'Iberville, Hattiesburg, Ridgeland, Southaven
Missouri9Arnold, Ballwin, Bridgeton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kirkwood, Lee's Summit, Springfield, St. Peters
Montana2Bozeman, Great Falls
Nebraska1Lincoln
Nevada2Henderson, Reno
New Hampshire2Manchester, Portsmouth
New Jersey7Deptford, Edison, Fairfield, Howell, Maple Shade, Paramus, Randolph
New Mexico1Albuquerque
New York11Blasdell, Clifton Park, New Hartford, Rochester (2), Scarsdale, Seaford, Syracuse, Vestal, Victor, Wappingers Falls, Webster
North Carolina16Asheville, Cary, Charlotte, Concord, Durham, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Jacksonville, Matthews, Raleigh, Southern Pines, Wilmington, Winston Salem
North Dakota4Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot
Ohio28Anderson, Beavercreek, Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus (2), Dayton, Dublin, Fields Ertel, Findlay, Gahanna, Grove City, Huber Heights, Hyde Park, Lima, Mansfield, Mentor, Niles, Perrysburg, Poland, Sagamore Hills, Sandusky, Stow, Sylvania, West Chester, Western Hills, Westerville, Westlake
Oklahoma2Norman, Oklahoma City
Oregon2Clackamas, Salem
Pennsylvania12Allentown, Cranberry Township, Dickson City, Erie, Exton, Harrisburg, Huntingdon Valley, Lancaster, Monroeville, Paoli, Pittsburgh (2), York
Rhode Island1Warwick
South Carolina11Anderson, Bluffton, Charleston, Columbia (2), Florence, Greenville, North Charleston, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Surfside Beach
South Dakota2Rapid City, Sioux Falls
Tennessee11Antioch, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Collierville, Cordova, Franklin, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville (2), Murfreesboro
Texas38Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Baytown, Beaumont, Carrolton, College Station, Colleyville, Corpus Christi, Denton, El Paso, Flower Mound, Garland, Georgetown, Houston (4), Hudson Oaks, Humble, Katy, Leon Valley, Longview, Lubbock, McKinney, Mesquite, Odessa, Pearland, Plano, Port Arthur, Rosenberg, Round Rock, San Antonio, The Woodlands, Tyler, Universal City, Waco, Webster
Vermont1Williston
Virginia16Chesapeake (2), Christiansburg, Colonial Heights, Danville, Forest, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Newport News, Richmond (2), Roanoke (2), Virginia Beach (2), Winchester
Washington3Kennewick, Spokane Valley, Vancouver
West Virginia3Morgantown, Parkersburg, Triadelphia
Wisconsin9Appleton, Brookfield, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison (2), Wausau
Wyoming2Casper, Cheyenne
Canada
Alberta10Calgary (3), Edmonton (2), Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Sherwood Park
British Columbia9Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Langley, Nanaimo, Surrey, Victoria
Manitoba3Brandon, Winnipeg (2)
New Brunswick3Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John
Nova Scotia1Halifax
Ontario32Ajax, Barrie, Belleville, Brampton, Brantford, Burlington, Cambridge, Concord, Etobicoke, Guelph, Hamilton, Kanata, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Ottawa, Richmond Hill, Sault Ste Marie, Scarborough, St. Catharines, Stoney Creek, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Whitby, Windsor
Saskatchewan3Regina, Saskatoon (2)

Awards

The company currently ranks in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "About | Once Upon A Child Columbus, OH". onceuponachild.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. "What Drives the Mission for Once Upon A Child?". www.winmarkfranchises.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Kim, Jennifer (April 5, 2022). "How is Once Upon A Child Profitable?". iStrategy Conference. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Start a Once Upon A Child Franchise in 2024". Entrepreneur. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "FAQ". onceuponachild.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  6. "Once Upon A Child". onceuponachild.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  7. "Once Upon A Child Store Locations". onceuponachild.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.