Once Upon A Child

Founded: 1984 Franchising since: 1992
Founded in 1984 in Columbus, Ohio, Once Upon A Child specializes in selling new and used children's clothes, toys, furniture and equipment. Franchises were first offered in 1992. The company is owned by Winmark (formerly Grow Biz), which also franchises Music Go Round, Plato's Closet, and Play It Again Sports.

605 Hwy. 109 N., # 400 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55441

Phone: (800)592-8049/ (763)520-8490

Franchisor has 100 employee(s); 5 employee(s) in franchise department.

Franchise Growth

Year	U.S. Franchises	Canadian Franchises	Foreign Franchises	Company Owned
2009	211	23	0	0
2008	208	23	0	0
2007	203	20	0	0
2006	189	19	0	0
2005	189	19	0	1

Where Seeking Franchisees
In the U.S. Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North carolina, North dakota, New hampshire, New jersey, New mexico, Nevada, New york, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode island, South carolina, South dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West virginia, Wyoming
Outside the U.S.: Canada

Exclusive territories available.
Territory size: 5-mile radius

Total investment: $170K-264K Franchise fee: $25K

Ongoing royalty fee: 5% Term of agreement: 10 years, renewable

Type of Financing Available

	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	No	No
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Qualifications
Net worth requirement: $200K
Cash liquidity requirement: $51K-79.2K
Business Experience:

• General business experience
• Marketing skills

Operations

• 25% of all franchisees own more than one unit
• Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 3 - 5
• Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (95% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Training

• Available at headquarters: 2 weeks

Ongoing Support

• Newsletter
• Meetings
• Toll-free phone line
• Grand opening
• Internet
• Security/safety procedures
• Field operations/evaluations
• Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing Support

• Co-op advertising
• Ad slicks

Franchise 500® rank:
#197 (2009); #226 (2008); #362 (2007); #408 (2006); #364 (2005);

Ranked #1 in category in:
2008; 2005;

America's Top Global Franchises:
#152 (2009); #192 (2008);