Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy and Leigh Lowe.
Hi Billy and Leigh, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
We have five grandchildren and had shopped at multiple Once Upon A Child stores in Texas, Ohio, and Tennessee. Billy was an Oil and Gas Consultant mostly in the Houston area. He took a program manager job in Ohio that ended in 2019. Billy and Leigh both loved the seasons in the northern part of the country and compromised on relocating to Tennessee. From a career perspective, there were limited oil and gas opportunities in the Knoxville area, so Billy and Leigh decided to open up a Once Upon A Child franchise.
Leigh had a couple of years of experience in retail and several years working in the daycare industry. Our oldest daughter is pursuing an accounting degree, and she was required to do a term paper on a franchise for one of her classes. She chose Once Upon A Child, and her research indicated a strong probability for success with a unique business model.
This perspective, combined with our own positive experiences in multiple stores (in multiple states) gave us confidence that we could be successful, so we pulled the trigger in the spring of 2020. It took almost twelve months to find a suitable lease location. We opened to buy in September 2020 and had our Grand Opening in December 2020.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been many challenges related to opening a new store including, but the biggest challenge has been the pandemic. We’ve had to shut down twice due to quarantine requirements (including delaying our Grand Opening one week).
Staffing has been difficult at times. Presently, we are grateful for our team, as they have been tremendously flexible and persistent throughout the last twelve months. The team has learned a lot from our mistakes, and we hope to be on the path to more efficient operating processes and better customer service.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Billy and Leigh saw the benefits of owning a resale retail store – especially once the pandemic hit the United States. The duo recognized that while many families were now on tighter budgets, they still needed to buy clothes for their children that fit within their budgets. While no business model is completely recession-proof, resale retail business models have the ability to withstand the pressures of an economic downturn as well as COVID-19.
Everybody needs kids clothes, toys, furniture, and equipment and we like the idea that it’s not full price and it’s gently used – we firmly believe there’s a market for it, Once Upon A Child franchisees can take advantage of a unique business model that works in partnership with community members. Unlike big-box retailers, Once Upon A Child franchisees rely on a circular economy cycle – with local consumers acting as both customers and suppliers. It’s a unique business model, and we love the idea of building that relationship with the customer who will ultimately be selling to you as a supplier.
Billy and Leigh, along with both of their daughters, are excited to provide a positive, family-oriented experience to every member of the community.
How do you think about happiness?
Building, developing, and watching a team grow in addition to providing a unique service to local communities.
Contact Info:
- Email: manager@onceuponachildfountaincitytn.com
- Website: info@onceuponachildfountaincitytn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onceuponachildfountaincitytn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onceuponachildknoxvilletnfountaincity
