Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Anderson.
Hi Christina, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My husband, Jason, and I were looking to move our family to a community where the culture aligned more closely with our values. As part of that journey, we began exploring businesses for sale across the country. A friend in Franklin, TN, told us about the Once Upon A Child for sale in Clarksville, and in February 2024, we became its new owners.
We were drawn to this opportunity because the store meets a real need for families. As parents, we know how expensive it is to keep growing kids clothed, entertained, and equipped—and how quickly outgrown items pile up at home. Selling privately can be inconvenient or even unsafe. Once Upon A Child – Clarksville, TN offers families a simple solution: shop for value-priced items every day, and sell what kids have outgrown for cash on the spot. If there had been a store like this in our hometown, we’d have been regulars.
Our own children, who we homeschool, join us in the business too when their schedules allow. Beyond academics, they’re learning hands-on lessons about responsibility, service, and teamwork as “junior team members.” And of course, they’re quick to check their sizes for treasures—and usually try to talk us into taking something home.
When we acquired the store, we looked at everything with fresh eyes and built our vision around one word: SERVICE. That word is at the heart of our core values. Neither Jason nor I came from retail, so the learning curve was steep. With the help of mentors and our team, we continue to grow and improve every day. Our goal is for every person who walks through our doors to be served well and have a positive experience as they sell to us and shop for what they need at value prices every day.
We also have a special appreciation for our military community. Both of our fathers served, and Jason worked nearly 20 years as a Department of Defense civilian. Living near Fort Campbell, we’re mindful of the sacrifices of service members and their families, and we look for ways to support them through partnerships, donation drives, and family events.
Serving the community is what motivates us most. We partner with nonprofits like YAIPAK and Grace & Mercy to pass along donated and unsold items. We’ve worked with groups like Moving With the Military and the Fort Campbell Spouse’s Club to bless a military family expecting their first baby. In October, we’re serving as a collection site for Manna Café’s #CombatHunger food drive. We also love planning themed product drops, surprise reveals, and larger events like our grand opening celebration, VIP After Hours, Hometown Heroes Day, and more to create connection and joy in the community.
At the end of the day, everything we do flows from what matters most: faith, family, service, and community. Our hope is that Once Upon A Child – Clarksville, TN becomes known as the place where families find great deals, put a little extra cash in their pocket, and enjoy a shopping experience that is affordable, welcoming, and fun for the whole family.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Taking over Once Upon A Child was both exciting and overwhelming. Neither Jason nor I came from a retail background, so those early months often felt like being thrown into the deep end. We had to learn everything quickly while keeping the business afloat, which was both humbling and stretching.
One of the biggest challenges was finding our rhythm as a team. The store came with young, relatively inexperienced team members, and while they had a lot of heart, we all had some growing to do. Together, we worked on building skills, developing systems, and shaping a culture that reflected our core values of service and care. Little by little, we began to see progress—both in the team and in the customer experience.
Of course, financial pressures added another layer of difficulty. Like many new business owners, we faced moments when expenses loomed larger than we had planned for, and we had to get creative to keep things moving forward.
There were also plenty of behind-the-scenes hurdles. We discovered bottlenecks in the way inventory was processed, and we even learned that our database was sometimes overpricing items. It’s never fun to discover an item priced close to what it cost brand-new! But those moments pushed us to dig in, make corrections, and refine our systems so families can count on us for fair, value-driven pricing and excellent service every day. We’re grateful to the customers who extend us grace and kindly bring mistakes to our attention—it gives us the chance to make things right immediately and improve the process for everyone. We’re just as thankful for the customers who share when we get it right—whether it’s a kind word in the store or a great review online. That kind of feedback not only encourages our team, it also helps other families feel confident about shopping with us.
Looking back, I wouldn’t say the road has been smooth, but I also wouldn’t trade the lessons we’ve learned. Each challenge has stretched us in ways we never anticipated and reminded us why we’re here: to serve families well and to make things fun through affordable finds, themed product drops, and family events! We’re grateful for how far we’ve come, and we’re excited to keep building on this foundation in the years ahead.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Once Upon A Child – Clarksville, TN?
Kids grow fast. Closets fill up, garages overflow, and budgets feel the pinch. At Once Upon A Child – Clarksville, TN, we turn those everyday parenting challenges into simple, affordable solutions. We buy and sell gently-used kids’ clothes, from preemie through youth size 20, plus shoes, toys and games, books, and baby gear.
Families love the thrill of finding treasures in new inventory every day and shopping our themed product drops throughout the year, from seasonal must-haves to holiday surprises. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we’ll roll out a special selection of still-sealed, gift-ready treasures—perfect for holiday giving at a fraction of big box prices.
What sets us apart from other resale stores is how easy and safe we make the selling process. We buy all seasons, all year long—no appointment required. Parents who bring items to sell receive cash on the spot—no waiting for consignment checks and no awkward meet-ups with strangers. Every item is carefully checked for recalls and quality, and if something slips through later, we pull it from the floor immediately. Families can shop with confidence knowing everything is safe, affordable, and value-priced every single day.
We’re proud of the team we’re building—people who bring friendly, efficient service even on the busiest days, and who embody our culture of fun, service, and community involvement. We’re also proud of our partnerships with local nonprofits that allow us to donate thousands of items each year, and of the little and big events we host to give families not just a place to shop, but a place to connect—whether it’s a themed drop, a surprise reveal, or a big community day with food trucks and first responders.
At the heart of it all, Once Upon A Child – Clarksville, TN is more than a resale store. It’s where kids tug their parents toward the toys, parents celebrate saving money, and families feel good about passing along what they no longer need. We want every family who walks through our doors to feel like this is their store—welcoming, community-minded, and a place where saving money is fun and everyone leaves a little happier than when they came in.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that often surprises people is what goes on behind the scenes to keep our prices fair. Even our computer system doesn’t always get it right—sometimes certain brands were originally priced too high. When we discover this, we adjust it immediately, because our promise is to keep everything at everyday value prices families can trust. Our customers are a huge help when they graciously bring mispriced items we miss to our attention. It gives us the chance to fix it for them on the spot and update the database so the pricing is correct for everyone moving forward. We always want parents to feel confident they’re getting a deal, not a disappointment.
Another surprise customers love to discover is that we’re not just a store for babies and toddlers—we buy and sell clothing all the way up to youth size 20. Parents of tweens and teens don’t always realize we carry those sizes, so the selection can be smaller simply because fewer families bring them in—but when they do, those racks clear fast! It’s always fun to watch older kids shop for themselves and score great finds at prices way below what they’d pay at big box stores. And by carrying stylish, affordable options through the tween and early teen years, we’re able to help families stretch their budgets longer than many expect—well beyond the baby stage.
Pricing:
- Everyday Value Pricing at 50-70% Below Box Stores
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onceuponachild.com/locations/clarksville-tn/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ouacclarksville/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OUACClarksvilleTN
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ouac.clarksville
