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Once Upon a Child opened its doors for the first time in Ohio back in 1984. The concept is very simple and very successful. The store will purchase your gently used baby and children's items and resale them at a discount price. This benefits the store and the mom on a budget. Once Upon a Child is now the largest children's national resale shop with 220 stores throughout the United States and Canada. Since the success of Once Upon a Child you find children's resale shops springing up all over town.

It was ten years ago that I had my first experience with Once Upon a Child. Now, with years of resale shopping and four kids under my belt I know exactly what I am looking for and what to expect from a resale shop. I judge a resale shop on appearance of store, condition of items sold, reselling experience and buying experience. So, how does Once Upon a Child measure up?

APPEARANCE OF STORE

I have been to several Once Upon a Child stores and all are similar in look and feel. The store does not resemble a shop but an indoor garage sale. The aisles are cramped with a vast array of strollers, bassinets, and big plastic toys. It is difficult to navigate a stroller or cart through the store. The toys are not organized into age appropriateness but put on a shelf as they are purchased by the store. Shoes desperately try to stay in order of size but little hands and big hands alike make that next to impossible. In contrast, clothes are very well organized by size and gender. The dressing rooms are a good size and no better or worse then you would expect from any store. Books are in complete disarray but I think that section has the same problem as the shoe section. The sheer amount of non-clothing or large items makes organization a feat in and of itself. Items being sold back to the store are usually out in the walkway unattended in boxes or laundry baskets. The appearance is of a store trying desperately to keep from busting at the seams. Having sympathy for the amount of items verses the amount of space and considering the well organzied clothing section, I grade the appearance a C.

CONDITION OF ITEMS

When I look through a resale shop I know to expect wear and tear of items but overall I want to see items that are still functional and in very good to excellent used condition. In every resale shop you will find the some junk and some items with tags still attached. Once Upon a Child claims to have a high standard in the condition of what they will buy and sell. I have found this

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