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.

History Lynn and Dennis Blum started Once Upon A Child in 1984, opening their first store in Ohio. 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. They sold the franchise rights for Once Upon A Child to Winmark Franchise Cooperation in 1992.

Clothing model Once Upon a Child pays sellers same-day, in cash, for items sold to the store. 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. Items accepted by the store are checked for product safety and measures all toys and other products against safety standards and recalls. Clothes, accessories, and shoes normally accepted by the store must not be more than 5 years old, but this varies by item and location. If a customer chooses to sell items, the store offers them a 15% discount on goods purchased that day.

Locations The first Once Upon A Child store was opened in Perrysburg, Ohio in 1984. Since then, over 400 locations have opened across North America. +Once Upon A Child LocationsState/ProvinceNumber of StoresCities/LocationsUnited StatesAlabama2Hoover, MadisonAlaska2Anchorage, FairbanksArizona6Gilbert, Glendale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, TucsonArkansas4Bentonville, Conway, Fayetteville, JonesboroCalifornia12Chico, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Modesto, Newark, Oceanside, Rancho Cucamonga, Redding, Roseville, Sacramento, Tracy, VacavilleColorado8Arvada, Centennial, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Greeley, Littleton, LongmontConnecticut8Bristol, Danbury, Enfield, Manchester, Meriden, Orange, Waterbury, WethersfieldDelaware2Dover, WilmingtonFlorida31Altamonte 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 HavenGeorgia12Austell, Buford, Canton, Columbus, Douglasville, Duluth, Gainesville, Jonesboro, Marietta, Newnan, Savannah, SnellvilleIdaho2Idaho Falls, Twin FallsIllinois10Bloomington, Bolingbrook, Crest Hill, Elgin, Fairview Heights, Harwood Heights, Naperville, Orland Park, Rockford, SpringfieldIndiana19Anderson, Bloomington, Carmel, Clarksville, Crown Point, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis (5), Lafayette, Mishawaka, Muncie, Schererville, Terre Haute, ValparaisoIowa5Cedar Rapids, Coralville, Davenport, Sioux City, UrbandaleKansas1Overland ParkKentucky8Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Florence, Lexington, Louisville (2), Owensboro, PaducahLouisiana6Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Mandeville, Metairie, Monroe, SlidellMaryland6Ellicott City, Gambrills, Glen Burnie, Salisbury, Timonium, WaldorfMassachussetss2Seekonk, West SpringfieldMichigan16Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Brighton, Canton, Flint, Jackson, Lansing, Monroe, Novi, Okemos, Portage, Saginaw, Traverse City, Troy, Walker, WyomingMinnesota15Anoka, Burnsville, Duluth, Eden Prairie, Mankato, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Rochester, Roseville, Saint Luis Park, Shakopee, Spring Lake Park, Waite Park, WoodburyMississippi4D'Iberville, Hattiesburg, Ridgeland, SouthavenMissouri9Arnold, Ballwin, Bridgeton, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kirkwood, Lee's Summit, Springfield, St. PetersMontana2Bozeman, Great FallsNebraska1LincolnNevada2Henderson, RenoNew Hampshire2Manchester, PortsmouthNew Jersey7Deptford, Edison, Fairfield, Howell, Maple Shade, Paramus, RandolphNew Mexico1Albuquerque New York11Blasdell, Clifton Park, New Hartford, Rochester (2), Scarsdale, Seaford, Syracuse, Vestal, Victor, Wappingers Falls, WebsterNorth Carolina16Asheville, Cary, Charlotte, Concord, Durham, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Jacksonville, Matthews, Raleigh, Southern Pines, Wilmington, Winston SalemNorth Dakota4Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, MinotOhio28Anderson, 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, WestlakeOklahoma2Norman, Oklahoma CityOregon2Clackamas, SalemPennsylvania14Allentown, Cranberry Township, Dickson City, Erie, Exton, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Huntingdon Valley, Lancaster, Monroeville, Paoli, Pittsburgh (2), YorkRhode Island1WarwickSouth Carolina12Anderson, Bluffton, Charleston, Columbia (2), Florence, Greenville, North Charleston, Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Sumter, Surfside BeachSouth Dakota2Rapid City, Sioux FallsTennessee11Antioch, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Collierville, Cordova, Franklin, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville (2), MurfreesboroTexas38Abilene, 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, WebsterVermont1WillistonVirginia16Chesapeake (2), Christiansburg, Colonial Heights, Danville, Forest, Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Newport News, Richmond (2), Roanoke (2), Virginia Beach (2), WinchesterWashington3Kennewick, Spokane Valley, VancouverWest Virginia3Morgantown, Parkersburg, TriadelphiaWisconsin9Appleton, Brookfield, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison (2), WausauWyoming2Casper, CheyenneCanadaAlberta10Calgary (3), Edmonton (2), Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Sherwood ParkBritish Columbia9Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Langley, Nanaimo, Surrey, VictoriaManitoba3Brandon, Winnipeg (2)New Brunswick3Fredericton, Moncton, Saint JohnNova Scotia1HalifaxOntario32Ajax, 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, WindsorSaskatchewan3Regina, Saskatoon (2)

Awards The company currently ranks in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500.

References