Once Upon A Child

I don’t have children but I needed some baby gear for a Halloween costume I was making. The staff was super friendly and helpful fitting me for a Baby Bjorn (how the hell do mothers put that on with a live infant in the mix is beyond me)
They helped me find everything I needed, plus the prices were great and the quality of everything I saw was «like-​new.» The onesie I bought still had the original tags on it!
Everyone was stunned when they found out I only paid $ 20 for a Baby Bjorn carrier! I will recommend this business to all my friends that have children!

I just wrote a review for the West Springfield OUAC so why not this one?
I’ve been buying and selling at this location for about 9 years now. They’re very fair and most importantly consistent with their buying process and I definitely appreciate that. It’s not a «whichever buyer is there» kind of thing. When they do reject there’s legitimate and specific reasons.
The clothes they do sell never seem to disappoint. Their customer service is excellent and the store is always clean. I will always do business with this location.

I love, love, love this store. I’ve gotten everything from books and a play mat to toys and a boppy pillow here, and all for a bargain.
My favorite things about the store:
–it is clean (you don’t leave feeling like you have to wash your hands immediately, which is how I feel after visiting some resale stores)
–there is a great selection of items
–the inventory is constantly changing (I have to make myself not stop by every time I drive by)
–the prices are great! (I love the frequent shopper stamp card too)
The only downside to the store is how crowded it is. The racks are pretty close together (it’s hard to pass someone else in the aisle), and some of the items are on top of the racks, making them hard to reach and look at (especially if the store is busy).
Definitely worth a visit!

You know that feeling you get when you find a great pair of boots — in your size — on clearance and you have a store coupon to use on top of that? Or when something small, leather and fabulous tucked in behind all the other handbags at TJMaxx catches your eye and you feel like it was placed there just for you, because it’s the only one and it happens to be wayyy marked down and it’s more «you» than any bag you’ve ever seen before? Well, since my recent foray into motherhood, those things never happen to me anymore because I’ve stopped shopping for myself.
BUT! Once Upon a Child has returned my goosebumps and that jittery feeling you get in your stomach when you walk out of a store with amazing things that you paid borderline-​robbery prices for. Every time I leave this place, I load my haul into my trunk and think «SCORE!» My most recent visit yielded a Hanna Andersson snowsuit, a gorgeous hooded wool toggle coat, 4 pairs of designer dark wash straight-​leg jeans that make my baby looks like he belongs in GQ (on clearance for $.75 a pair, thank you very much), a zip up Adidas track jacket, 2 pairs of stride rites and a pair of Pumas, a handknit wool sweater and enough winter standards (turtlenecks, sweaters, etc.) to get us through the cold months… and my total was like $ 60. Be still my heart.
The good news? I could tell a similar story for every visit I make to this store.
The not-​so-​great is that the place is jam-​packed with inventory and the aisles are narrow. If you go on a weekend, be ready for crowds and expect that you might have some trouble accessing the racks of items you want to see. Also, the top rack is up pretty high and can be hard to view (but I’m short, so maybe that’s just me!). The shoes & boots are squished into a back corner that make it hard for more than one or two shoppers to view at a time, and they are on shelves in bins sorted by size so you have to pull your size bin (s) out and rummage through them. People’s kids will probably be underfoot/​playing with toys on the floor/​emerging from racks of clothes with a «BOO!» and just generally clogging up the place even more than it already is… so if this kind of thing is going to put a damper on your shopping, you might not want to go on a weekend. And if you have your own child in tow, there is a little play area walled off and filled with toys (it’s a half wall so they’re always visible — kind of like the play-​with-​a-​puppy pens in the pet store). Also, the staff is generally wonderful but some can be prickly if you have questions or need help with anything. On a recent visit, I approached the counter with an armful of things I intended to buy and asked if they could perhaps hold them while I finished shopping, and they did but I got the sense that I was really putting them out. The workers sort/​tag/​prep new inventory behind the counter so they’re busy and it’s congested. Just a heads up!
Oh, also… they have a stamp card that, when full, will get you a discount on future purchases.
I really love this store and always look forward to going!

I live in California so have no experience selling clothes here. I do, however, have experience in buying. I have two children and typically end up buying their whole next season’s wardrobe here whenever we come back this way to visit my family. The clothes they sell are always in great condition and priced very well. I’ve purchased many items with the tags still on them. My one complaint would be that they sometimes stuff the racks too full which means I’m not as thorough and probably miss out on some cute purchases.