How much does an Once Upon A Child franchise cost?
Opening an Once Upon A Child franchise takes a total initial investment of $355,700 to $485,900, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports 2025 median gross sales of $1,178,261 across 408 outlets.
Once Upon A Child franchises stores that sell children’s apparel, toys, equipment, furniture and accessories. Category: Retail.
Item 7
What it costs to open an Once Upon A Child franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $355,700 to $485,900. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are OPENING INVENTORY ($75,000 to $85,000), MISCELLANEOUS PRE-OPENING EXPENSES ($50,000 to $80,000), and FIXTURES AND SUPPLIES ($60,000 to $75,000). Together they make up about 49% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $25,000, about 7.0% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| INITIAL FRANCHISE FEE2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $25,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| FIXTURES AND SUPPLIES2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $60,000 | $75,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| SIGNS2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $10,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| SECURITY SYSTEM AND/ | $1,500 | $4,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| POINT-OF-SALE (POS) SYSTEM2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $23,200 | $30,900 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $11,000 | $21,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| BUILD-OUT2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 | $35,000 | $55,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10 |
| DEPOSITS AND BUSINESS LICENSES2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| OPENING INVENTORY2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $75,000 | $85,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| MISCELLANEOUS PRE-OPENING EXPENSES2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $50,000 | $80,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| RENT – FIRST 3 MONTHS2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $20,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| ADDITIONAL FUNDS - 3 MONTHS2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 | $40,000 | $50,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 11 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10-11 | $355,700 | $485,900 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10-11 |
Source Once Upon A Child, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 10-11, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 19
What Once Upon A Child franchisees actually report earning
2025 Median Gross Sales
$1,178,261
Once Upon A Child's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 12 month period ended December 27, 2025 (Winmark’s fiscal year). Basis: 408 of the 409 franchised Once Upon A Child® Stores located in the United States and Canada that commenced operations in each of the years 1988 through 2024, and were not transferred during 2025.
Sample size: 408 outlets. The FDD also reports 2025 average gross sales of $1,268,984. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- The statement does not include information for the 32 franchised Once Upon A Child® Stores that opened or transferred during the 12-month period ended December 27, 2025.
- No Stores closed during this period after being opened less than 12 months.
- No other Once Upon A Child® Stores are included in this statement due to insufficient history of operations (not in operation for the 12-month period ended December 27, 2025, or transferred during this period).
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Once Upon A Child outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Once Upon A Child, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 37-38, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Item 20
How many Once Upon A Child outlets there are, and how many closed
Once Upon A Child ended 2025 with 441 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 17 franchised outlets opened and 6 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Once Upon A Child opened 44 franchised outlets and 9 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 35, from 406 to 441 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 8 were terminated and 1 was not renewed.
On average, about 0.7% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 139.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 430 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 441 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 45 |
| 2024 | 416 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 430 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 45 |
| 2023 | 406 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 416 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 45 |
Source Once Upon A Child, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 45, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-14.
Compare
How Once Upon A Child compares with other Retail franchises
Measured against the 39 Retail franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Once Upon A Child's estimated range is $420,800. It costs more to open than 68% of Retail franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 0.7% for Once Upon A Child. That is lower than 97% of the 37 Retail franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Once Upon A Child's franchised system grew 8.6%. The typical Retail franchise here shrank 1.2%.
- Earnings disclosure. 25 of the 39 Retail franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Once Upon A Child is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Retail franchise side by side.
Alert me when Once Upon A Child files a new FDD
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