Children's clothing store coming to Cape

Cape Girardeau already has children�s clothing shops, but Once Upon a Child, set to open late next month, takes a different tack.

An aisle filled with clothes and other items to be evaluated and distributed throughout Once Upon a Child are seen Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Staff will spend the next five weeks buying gently-used children�s clothing, equipment and toys, said the owners, sisters Marla Teter and Sandy Johnson.

Then, items will go out on the sale floor � no consignment needed, Teter said.

Toys sit on shelves in Once Upon a Child on Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Teter and Johnson grew up in Southeast Missouri, and, Teter said, �it�s really nice to come back and give something nice back to the community here.�

Together, the sisters own the Once Upon a Child location, at 760 S. Kingshighway, which is part of a nationwide chain that also owns Plato�s Closet.

Shelby Davis organizes clothes at Once Upon a Child on Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Teter and her son, Cole, own the Plato�s Closet store in Cape Girardeau, she said.

The two stores operate on the same idea, Teter said: good clothing for a good price.

Bags and containers of clothes and other items wait to be evaluated and distributed throughout Once Upon a Child on Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

While Marla Teter lives in Georgia full-time, where she owns other franchise stores, she�s in Cape Girardeau helping process �buys� before the store�s grand opening in April.

About 20 employees are on staff right now, Teter said, and Monday afternoon, about five employees were working their way through customers� dropped-off goods, entering items into inventory and coming up with a final tally to offer cash or store credit to the customer.

The shelves of Once Upon a Child are seen Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�Right now, we�re pretty far behind,� Teter said, estimating the wait time at about four days since so many people have brought items to sell, but the processing time should drop to between 30 minutes to one hour, once the store is up and running.

Once Upon a Child is not a consignment store, Teter added. People are able to bring in clothing sizes preemie through youth 18/20, toys and items including strollers, baby beds, play pens and so on.

An aisle filled with clothes and other items to be evaluated and distributed throughout Once Upon a Child are seen Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

�We are very selective,� Teter said. �This has to be a fun place to shop, and get nice things for a great deal.

�It�s like going to 50 shops at once, coming here,� Teter continued, and at much lower prices than typical mall offerings.

Shelves of shoe bins, organized by size, at Once Upon a Child are seen Monday in Cape Girardeau.KASSI JACKSON

Teter said the shop is a bit bigger than the typical Once Upon a Child location, but they wanted the slightly bigger space to make it easier to keep merchandise organized.

All clothing is separated into either boys� or girls� clothes, then by size, type (dresses, pants, shirts), and lastly by color.

That way, if a shopper has a pink shirt, for example, it�s easier to find a coordinating pair of pants, Teter said.

All of this adds to the overall fun, exciting atmosphere Teter and Johnson are looking to provide.

�I was in banking for years,� Teter said. �Wore heels every day. I like working here, with fun people in a fun environment.�

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

760 S. Kingshighway, Ste. L, Cape Girardeau, Mo.