Redding 'Once Upon a Child' store owners share the benefits of buying secondhand

REDDING, Calif. — Parents seeking to expand their kids’ wardrobes can find a bargain, along with other benefits, by shopping for gently-used clothes.

The owners of the Redding Once Upon a Child, Andrew and Emily Marr, are a couple who are also parents. They told us recycled clothes are a great option, especially for growing kids.

This week, the Marrs and their team at Once Upon a Child on Athens Avenue are hosting their grand opening. They’re now selling gently-used kids’ clothes, accessories and more to the community.

The couple started off as consumers, buying clothes for their own kids at the franchise.

“We know it ourselves because we’re parents of twins, so we went through clothes very fast,” Andrew said. “And so they’re always needing new clothes, always outgrowing. So it was a great way where you can come in, trade in your sizes that are too small, and get bigger sizes for the next stage of life.”

The pair said, with secondhand clothes, they look to make sure each piece is free of stains and that the buttons and zippers work so they know they’re getting high-quality items at a lower price than regular department stores.

In addition, they cited the environmental benefits of buying secondhand; Per the Environmental Protection Agency, just in the U.S., 11.3 million tons of textiles ended up in landfills in 2018.

“The items are in like-new condition, so it’s great for kids to be able to use for the time they need it, and then we can trade it up,” Emily said. “Also, it’s really good for the environment because it’s avoiding it going into the landfills, and it finds another home where another person and another family can use it.”

The Marrs said they’ve purchase around 63,000 pieces from the community so far. They’re still looking to buy more items now.

Their grand opening event goes through Sunday, May 19.

You can find out more about the grand opening, plus more about the store, here.

--

To report errors or issues with this article please email the editorial team.