Once Upon a Child in Fields Ertel is celebrating it’s 25th year in business! Join us on September 23rd for a 25th anniversary bash at Once Upon a Child Fields Ertel as we celebrate this milestone with a fun-filled customer appreciation day.
Highlights for the kids include appearances by Cinderella, Belle, and the Paw Patrol as well as balloon artists, temporary tattoos, and snacks. The first 25 customers in line receive a $25 gift card, and everyone is invited to register to win a $250 gift card and spin the prize wheel to win prizes ranging from $5 off to 50% off! The Fields Ertel store is located at 9136 Union Cemetery Road in Mason, Ohio.
Once Upon a Child Fields Ertel opened in 1992, and was the 21st Once Upon a Child in existence. Since then, Once Upon a Child has become the most trusted children’s resale store in southern Ohio and franchise owner Becky Finger has expanded the business to include 2 additional concepts and a total of 20 stores.
“The change our stores have seen over the past 25 years is amazing. When we first opened we didn’t have computers! We had to hand-write all of the tags,” reflects owner Becky Finger. “Every tag that was attached to our clothing was hand-written by me or one of our 6 employees. There was no email, no Facebook, no Google. The technology growth has really been incredible for a business to live through.”
Finger’s company, R&R Resale, has grown to 450 employees and 9 Once Upon a Child locations, where a combined total of 6 million children’s items are bought and sold every year. In 1998, R&R Resale expanded their business and opened their first of 7 Plato’s Closets, a resale shop for teens and young adults. They expanded again in 2012 with their newest concept, Clothes Mentor, a resale shop for women, which now has 4 locations in the market. All 20 stores are located in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets.
This growth would not have been possible without a successful business model and the support of the local community. “Some of our very first customers are still shopping with us!” Finger says of her early customers that have grown with the company through the years. “They had young children when we opened Once Upon a Child, then shopped with us at Plato’s Closet when their kids were teenagers. Now they are back at Once Upon a Child shopping for their grandchildren. Their loyalty lets us know we are doing something right.”
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Finger contributes the growth and success of the business to paying cash on the spot, unlike consignment stores, and having deep community ties. “We truly are a locally owned family business. My three children all work for the company, and all of our employees live in the communities where our stores are located,” Finger continues. “We sincerely care about our customers and our employees.”
Once Upon a Child is committed to helping their community and donates thousands of clothes, toys, and shoes to Matthew 25 Ministries every month. They are also a proud sponsor of Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, hosting an annual diaper drive and serving as diaper donation sites year round, collecting over 17,000 diapers so far in 2017!