Once Upon a Child closing in Fairlawn, Stow location to remain open

The Once Upon a Child store in Rosemont Commons in Fairlawn will be closing next month.

The store is one of about 400 in the U.S. and 28 in Ohio. Locally, there are three other stores: in Stow, Sagamore Hills and Canton.

The news spread quickly on social media, with some Facebook commenters expressing surprise.

"What a bummer," wrote one individual.

The Once Upon a Child stores sell used children's clothing, shoes, toys and baby gear and are franchised by Winmark Corp., a U.S. franchisor of five retail businesses that specialize in buying and selling used goods.

The company did not respond to an emailed request for comment. The Fairlawn store's owner was not immediately available for comment.

The Fairlawn store is located near a Walmart and Giant Eagle on West Market Street in Rosemont Commons shopping center.

The market for baby and children's secondhand clothing and goods remains huge and is expected to grow in coming years. Mercari, a Japan-based ecommerce company, estimated the U.S. market at $7.2 billion in 2022, with anticipated growth to about $12.8 billion in 2030.

A manager at the Stow location who did not want to be identified said she had heard about the Fairlawn store closing, but there were no plans for the Stow store to close.

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him ataashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.