Once Upon A Child Syracuse

What Once Upon A Child Syracuse does

Once Upon A Child Syracuse is an independently owned and operated franchise retail store located at 5775 Bridge St in East Syracuse, New York, founded in 2017 and employing 47 people. The business operates a single buy-and-sell resale storefront for gently used children's clothing, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and baby gear, serving parents and families across the Syracuse metropolitan area. Customers can sell outgrown kids' items directly to the store for immediate cash payment with no appointment required, and purchase curated pre-owned merchandise at marked-up prices across sizes from preemie through Youth 20 in all seasons.

The store runs under a franchise agreement with Winmark Corporation (Minneapolis, MN), which owns the Once Upon A Child brand trademark and operates a network of resale franchises including Plato's Closet, Play It Again Sports, Style Encore, and Music Go Round. The Syracuse location has earned Gold Standard Store recognition from the franchisor, indicating above-benchmark performance within the network. The technology stack is entirely third-party SaaS — a BigCommerce-hosted website, FiveStars-powered SMS loyalty, Constant Contact email newsletters, and standard organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) — with no proprietary technology disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are straightforward two-sided retail: the store arbitrages the gap between cash purchase prices from sellers and resale prices to buyers, supplemented by two loyalty programs (New Baby Club and a FiveStars Rewards Program) and a Brand Ambassadors community-marketing program. The buy-side cash payment model is the primary differentiator versus consignment-based competitors, while the Gold Standard designation and seven-day operating hours anchor the local value proposition.

Name

Once Upon A Child Syracuse

Legal name

Once Upon A Child Syracuse (franchise location owned and operated independently)

Website

https://onceuponachildsyracuse.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Once Upon A Child Syracuse is an independently owned retail franchise that buys and sells gently used children's clothing, shoes, toys, furniture, and baby gear at a single storefront in East Syracuse, NY, serving local parents and families under the Winmark Corporation franchise brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Resale Retail

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (45951), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Off-Price Toys, Games & Family General Merchandise Retail (CRAEACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids’ & Baby Apparel Retail (CRAAABAD), Off-Price Kids & Family Department Stores (CRAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Children's resale clothing
• Used kids clothing
• Baby gear resale
• Consignment retail
• Kids secondhand shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Syracuse

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Resale Transactions: The store purchases gently used kids' clothing, shoes, toys, furniture, and baby gear from sellers at negotiated prices, paying cash on the spot. The store then resells these items to buyers at marked-up prices, capturing the margin between purchase and sale prices.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Once Upon A Child Syracuse runs a single retail storefront that purchases gently used kids' clothing, shoes, toys, books, furniture, and baby gear directly from local families for immediate cash payment, with no appointment required. The store then resells that curated, size- and season-tagged inventory to other parents at marked-up prices, capturing the margin between buy and sale prices. Customers can shop in-store during posted shopping hours or sell at the dedicated Buy Counter, supported by a FiveStars loyalty program and a New Baby Club.

Product overview

Once Upon A Child Syracuse operates as a single-location retail store that buys and sells gently used children's items. The business model combines a traditional resale shop with a consignment-style purchasing model where customers bring in their children's clothing, shoes, toys, furniture, and baby gear to receive immediate cash payment. The store offers a curated selection of pre-owned kids' merchandise across sizes preemie through Youth 20, covering all seasons year-round. The product portfolio includes clothing, shoes, toys, baby gear, books, and children's furniture. The company complements its core retail offerings with two loyalty programs: the New Baby Club targeting new parents and a general Rewards Program. As a Gold Standard Store within the Winmark franchise network, the Syracuse location operates independently while maintaining brand standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pre-Owned Kids' Clothing Gently used children's clothing available in sizes preemie through Youth 20, covering all seasons year-round, sold in-store at the Syracuse retail location.
• Kids' Shoes Pre-owned children's footwear available in various sizes and styles, sold at the Syracuse store.
• Toys Gently used children's toys available for purchase at the Syracuse retail location.
• Baby Gear Pre-owned baby equipment and gear, including essentials for infants and toddlers, sold at the Syracuse store.
• Books Pre-owned children's books available for purchase at the Syracuse retail location.
• Kids' Furniture Pre-owned children's furniture items available for purchase at the Syracuse store.
• Cash-on-the-Spot Purchase Service In-store evaluation and immediate cash purchase of customers' gently used kids' items at the Buy Counter; no appointment required, available for all seasons every day the store is open.
• New Baby Club A loyalty program designed for new parents offering exclusive deals and promotions on baby essentials at the Syracuse store.
• FiveStars Rewards Program SMS-based loyalty rewards program where customers sign up by texting SYRACUSE to 578-277 or signing up online via FiveStars to earn rewards on in-store purchases.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Poshmark: National online peer-to-peer resale marketplace with a strong kids' category. Competes for sellers of gently used children's items who might otherwise bring them to Once Upon A Child.
• Mercari: Online resale marketplace with broad category coverage including kids' clothing, toys, and baby gear. Provides an alternative channel for local sellers, representing indirect competitive pressure.
• Play It Again Sports: Winmark franchise brand specializing in resale of new and used sporting goods. Shares the franchise parent and operating model but is category-adjacent rather than directly competitive.
• Plato's Closet: Sister Winmark brand selling gently used teen and young adult clothing. Same franchise parent and similar buy-and-sell model, but serves an older demographic; relevant peer for understanding the shared Winmark resale playbook.
• thredUP: Large online resale platform with a dedicated kids' and baby category. A broader incumbent in the second-hand apparel market that competes for seller supply and offers an alternative for online buyers.
• Style Encore: Another Winmark franchise brand, focused on resale of women's contemporary fashion. Operates the same buy-and-sell retail model under the same parent company but targets an adult demographic.

Direct peers

• Kid to Kid: A national franchise chain that buys and sells gently used children's and maternity clothing, toys, books, baby gear, and furniture. Kid to Kid is the closest direct competitor to Once Upon A Child in store-format kids' resale.
• Children's Orchard: A buy-and-sell resale franchise specializing in children's clothing, shoes, toys, and baby gear. Operates on a similar cash-on-the-spot model targeting the same parent demographic.
• Just Between Friends: The largest children's and maternity consignment sales event franchise in the US, hosting periodic in-person sales of used kids' items. A direct competitor in the kids' resale category with overlapping buyer and seller base.
• Once Upon A Child (parent brand / other franchise locations): The same franchise brand operated by Winmark Corporation with hundreds of locations across the US and Canada. The Syracuse store is a direct franchise peer to all other OUAC locations, competing for the same customer demographics with the same buy-and-sell resale model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/onceuponachildsyracuse
• Instagraminstagram.com/onceuponachildsyracuse
• TikToktiktok.com/@onceuponachildsyracuse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/once-upon-a-child-syracuse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Once Upon A Child Syracuse