Once Upon A Child
$90,000
$25,000
359
1991
Minneapolis,MN
Brett Heffes
Overview
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.
Franchise Unit Trends and Revenue
359
8
$1,248,773
* in 2023
Franchise Fees
$25,000
5.0%
Gross Sales
$1,500
Fixed Fee
Why Choose 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.
Starting Costs and Investment Requirements
$287,400 - $420,300
$400,000
$90,000
Training and Support
The training program consists of more than 65 hours of in-store and classroom training in areas such as store operations, merchandising and customer service.
History
Winmark Corporation, based in Minneapolis, is the parent for Once Upon A Child and has been franchising the stores since 1993. Winmark focuses on used items, and its other franchises include Play It Again Sports, Plato’s Closet, Style Encore and Music Go Round.
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.
*The Average Store numbers are the 2023 Average Gross Sales and Average Gross Profit amounts stated in Item 19 of the 2024 Once Upon A Child® Franchise Disclosure Documents (as reported by the 386 stores that had been in operation at least one year as of December 30, 2023). Of the 386 stores, 158 or 41% of the stores attained or exceeded the Average Gross Sales and 159 or 41% of the stores attained or exceeded the Average Gross Profit. The top quartile Average Gross Sales and Average Gross Profit only relates to the 96 Once Upon A Child® Stores that ranked in the top 25% of the gross sales range. Of the 96 stores in the top quartile, 33 or 34% of the stores attained or exceeded the top quartile Average Gross Sales and 34 or 35% of the stores attained or exceeded the top quartile Average Gross Profit. A new franchisee’s results will likely differ from these results.
