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Franchise Opportunity Deep Dive: Once Upon a Child is a children’s resale franchise that buys and sells gently used clothing, shoes, toys, books, equipment and accessories for babies through tweens.
Once Upon a Child is a children’s resale franchise owned by Winmark Corporation. The brand buys and sells gently used children’s apparel, shoes, toys, books, baby equipment and accessories, giving families a lower-cost way to shop for quality items while keeping usable products out of landfills. With more than 440 locations across North America, Once Upon a Child has become one of the leading names in the children’s resale category.
Once Upon a Child was founded in 1985 by Dennis and Lynn Blum in the Columbus, Ohio, area. The concept was created to help parents manage the cost of raising children by giving them a place to sell gently used items and buy quality children’s products at a discount. In 1992, the franchising rights were sold to Grow Biz International, now known as Winmark Corporation.
Mission: Once Upon a Child’s mission is to help families save money by providing high-quality, gently used children’s products at affordable prices.
Vision: The brand’s vision is to make children’s resale more accessible in communities across North America while supporting sustainable shopping habits.
Once Upon a Child has available territories throughout the United States and Canada. Prospective franchisees can review available markets through the brand’s Available Territories page.
Initial Costs: The estimated initial investment required to begin operation of a Once Upon a Child franchise ranges from $355,700 to $485,900. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) breaks these costs down as follows:
| Type of Expenditure | Min | Max |
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| Fixtures and Supplies | $60,000 | $75,000 |
| Signs | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Security System & Cameras | $1,500 | $4,000 |
| Point-of-Sale (POS) System | $23,200 | $30,900 |
| Leasehold Improvements | $11,000 | $21,000 |
| Build-Out | $35,000 | $55,000 |
| Deposits & Business Licenses | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Opening Inventory | $75,000 | $85,000 |
| Miscellaneous Pre-Opening Expenses | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Rent (3 Months) | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $40,000 | $50,000 |
Initial Franchise Fee: The initial franchise fee is $25,000 for a first store and is due in a lump sum when the franchise agreement is signed. Existing Winmark franchisees and owners opening a second or subsequent store receive a reduced fee of $15,000.
Ongoing Fees: According to the 2026 FDD, Once Upon a Child franchisees are responsible for the following ongoing payments and fees:
| Type of Fee | Amount |
| Continuing fee | 5% gross sales/week |
| Marketing | $1,500/year |
| Cooperative Advertising | Maximum of 5% of gross sales/year |
| Software Fee | $295/month |
ROI Potential: According to the 2026 FDD, the 408 franchised stores operating for the entirety of 2025 reported the following gross sales and gross profits:
| Quartile | Average | Median | High | Low |
| Top 1/4 (102) | $2,009,668 | $1,876,577 | $3,660,164 | $1,554,407 |
| 2nd 1/4 (102) | $1,353,126 | $1,345,919 | $1,552,530 | $1,178,270 |
| 3rd 1/4 (102) | $1,023,906 | $1,032,314 | $1,178,252 | $872,288 |
| Bottom 1/4 (102) | $689,235 | $721,647 | $868,153 | $268,773 |
| Total (408) | $1,268,984 | $1,178,261 | $3,660,164 | $268,773 |
Once Upon a Child provides franchisees with business planning, site selection support and training before opening. Winmark helps franchisees build a detailed three-year business plan and written narrative that can be used when pursuing financing. The brand also provides guidance on retail site criteria, including economics, size, visibility, parking and co-tenants.
Once Upon a Child provides more than 65 hours of classroom and in-store training. Training covers business planning, marketing, merchandising, store operations, customer service, apparel trends, product knowledge, toys and equipment, and how to evaluate what to buy and how to buy it.
Winmark provides ongoing support through field operations managers, marketing resources and home office support. Field operations managers bring experience from major retail brands and serve as a front-line resource for franchisees. The brand also offers professionally produced television and radio commercials, digital and social marketing assets, event marketing materials, local store marketing programs and media buying support.
Once Upon a Child franchisees receive access to the brand’s proprietary point-of-sale system, which helps streamline purchasing and pricing. The system also includes cloud-based reporting tools that support remote management and business visibility.
Once Upon a Child does not require retail experience. The brand says most franchisees had little to no retail experience before owning their store. Winmark looks for franchisees who are passionate about the brand, their customers and serving families in their communities.
Once Upon a Child is a retail resale business that requires inventory management, customer service, team leadership, buying from customers and local marketing. The materials provided do not specifically position the brand as a semi-absentee ownership opportunity. Prospective franchisees should expect to be actively involved, especially during launch and early operations.
Winmark provides business planning support to help franchisees prepare for financing conversations. One full day of training is dedicated to building a detailed three-year plan and written narrative that franchisees can share with a bank. Specific lender partnerships were not included in the provided materials.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SohKz1tZT3o
"The collaboration, listening to other owners’ ideas, and … what’s working for them and how they are overcoming obstacles within their business … just that constant collaboration."
- Kiya Freedman, Franchisee — Maple Grove/Anoka, Minnesota
"We get a lot of support. There's always somebody to call, and we always know that there's somebody to contact and who will find out what we can do to fix the situation."
- Simon S. and Henna H., Franchisees — Clearwater, Florida
For more franchisee testimonials and success stories, visit the Once Upon a Child franchise website.
The U.S. secondhand market reached an estimated $61 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to $74 billion by 2029. Additionally, the U.S. kids apparel market is projected to grow from $41 billion in 2025 to $45 billion by 2032.
Several trends are driving demand for children's resale. Parents are increasingly looking for ways to reduce household expenses while still purchasing quality, name-brand clothing and gear for fast-growing children. At the same time, sustainability has become a priority for many consumers, leading more families to buy and sell secondhand rather than purchase new products. Because children quickly outgrow clothing, shoes, toys and equipment, the resale model creates a steady supply of inventory and repeat customer visits.
Once Upon a Child competes with local children’s consignment shops, thrift stores, online resale platforms and broad secondhand marketplaces. Primary competitors include Kid to Kid, local children’s resale stores, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, ThredUp and traditional thrift retailers.
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