Winmark
Winmark is a U.S. franchisor that operates a portfolio of resale-focused retail concepts.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Winmark Corporation is a Minneapolis-based franchising company whose retail concepts specialize primarily in buying and selling previously owned merchandise. Its current portfolio consists of Play It Again Sports, Once Upon a Child, Plato’s Closet, Music Go Round, and Style Encore. These businesses cover sports equipment, children’s clothing and toys, musical instruments, and clothing and accessories for teenagers, young adults, and women. The stores generally combine local purchasing from consumers with retail sales, giving customers a way to monetize goods they no longer need and to acquire branded or functional products at lower prices. Some locations also sell new merchandise. The company began in 1988 as Play It Again Sports Franchise Corporation. Its founders, Ron Olson and Jeffrey Dahlberg, had established a consulting firm before acquiring the franchise rights to Play It Again Sports from Martha Morris, who had created the original used-sports-equipment concept in Minneapolis. The founders moved from advising franchise businesses to owning and expanding one. The company acquired additional resale concepts during the 1990s and changed its name to Grow Biz International in 1993. It became a public company that year. Winmark’s history includes a major restructuring around 2000 and 2001. John Morgan succeeded Dahlberg as chief executive in 2000 and led a recovery from severe financial and operational difficulties. The company reviewed franchisee finances, closed or sold weak operations, changed its management and board composition, and reduced its direct ownership of stores. The resulting strategy emphasized a franchisee-owned network rather than a large company-operated store base. Grow Biz International adopted the Winmark name in 2001. The company subsequently exited several technology and entertainment concepts, including Computer Renaissance, Disc Go Round, It’s About Games, and ReTool. These divestitures reflected the difficulty of maintaining resale businesses in categories affected by rapid product obsolescence, weak inventory controls, or limited supply of second-hand goods. Winmark retained concepts with more durable or recurring resale demand, particularly apparel, children’s goods, sports equipment, and musical instruments. It also owns Wirth Business Credit, a business-equipment leasing subsidiary. Winmark’s business model depends on franchise fees, royalties, systems, training, merchandising support, pricing tools, and the local operating capabilities of franchisees. The company does not simply operate as a conventional retailer: individual franchise owners typically buy merchandise from local sellers, determine prices, and serve their communities under a common brand and operating system. The model gives the concepts geographic reach while limiting Winmark’s need to own inventory and stores directly. By the 2010s, the company had expanded to more than one thousand franchised locations, and its brands had become established participants in the North American resale sector. Today, Winmark is positioned around value, circular commerce, convenience, and specialized second-hand retail. Each concept has a defined customer segment and merchandise category, while the corporate group supplies the franchise infrastructure. Its competitive identity is therefore less about a single consumer product than about a repeatable platform for branded resale stores.
History
Winmark’s origins trace to a consulting relationship between Ron Olson, formerly associated with R.J. Brandon Galleries, and Jeffrey Dahlberg, who had worked in his family’s business. In 1986 they formed Franchise Business Systems. One of their early clients was Martha Morris, a Minneapolis entrepreneur who had opened a store selling used camping and sporting goods after discovering demand for lightly used equipment. Morris wanted to turn the idea into a franchise. Olson and Dahlberg initially approached the concept as advisers, but customer interest persuaded them to acquire the business themselves. In 1988, Olson and Dahlberg purchased the Play It Again Sports franchise rights from Morris and incorporated Play It Again Sports Franchise Corporation. They later acquired Morris’s stores as well. Play It Again Sports became the foundation of the company, which sought to make resale more organized and commercially attractive without losing the local, bargain-oriented character of used-goods retail. The company expanded by adding other specialized concepts. It acquired Once Upon a Child in 1992, Music Go Round in 1993, and Plato’s Closet in 1998. Once Upon a Child focused on children’s clothing and toys; Music Go Round concentrated on musical instruments; and Plato’s Closet targeted branded clothing for teenagers and young adults. In June 1993, the corporation changed its name to Grow Biz International and went public later that year. It also experimented with technology, entertainment, and tool-resale businesses. The expansion created operational strain. In 2000, Computer Renaissance was sold after the company concluded that rapidly changing computer technology reduced the resale value of much of its inventory. Disc Go Round was sold in 1998, while the company closed or disposed of the It’s About Games stores in 1999 after substantial losses connected with inventory, systems, product selection, and training. ReTool, a used-tools concept launched in 1999, was later sold. These exits marked a shift away from a broad collection of company-controlled retail experiments. John Morgan became CEO in March 2000. He inherited a business close to bankruptcy and initiated a turnaround based on tighter franchisee financial reviews, store closures, management changes, and board changes. The company also sold its headquarters building and pursued a deliberate transition from corporate store ownership toward stores owned by franchisees. This reduced direct operating exposure and made franchise support, royalties, and the health of the franchise network central to the business. Grow Biz International became Winmark Corporation in 2001. During the following decade, the company concentrated on its strongest resale categories and expanded its franchised network in the United States and Canada. The portfolio was later broadened with Style Encore, announced in 2013 and opened in Texas that year. Style Encore extended the company’s apparel expertise into women’s clothing, footwear, handbags, and jewelry. Winmark’s concepts operate through a common resale logic but serve distinct customer groups. Franchisees purchase merchandise from local consumers, price it using company systems and category knowledge, and resell it through specialized stores. The brands can also use their scale to source new products at competitive prices, meaning that “used goods” is the core identity rather than an absolute restriction on every item sold. By the 2010s, Winmark had become one of the larger specialized resale franchisors in North America. In 2016, Brett Heffes succeeded Morgan as CEO, while Morgan became executive chairman. The company remains active as a public franchising and resale-services business.
- 2016
Brett Heffes becomes CEO
[1]Heffes succeeded Morgan, who became executive chairman.
- 2013
Style Encore launches
[1]Winmark introduced a women’s apparel and accessories resale franchise.
- 2001
Winmark name adopted
[1]Grow Biz International changed its name to Winmark Corporation.
- 2000
John Morgan becomes CEO and begins a turnaround
[1]Morgan introduced tighter financial oversight, management changes, and a reduction in weak company-owned operations.
- 1998
Plato’s Closet is acquired
[1]The company added a resale concept aimed at teenagers and young adults.
- 1993
The company becomes Grow Biz International and goes public
[1]The corporate name changed in June, followed by a public offering in August.
- 1993
Music Go Round joins the portfolio
[1]Winmark acquired Hi-Tech Consignments and renamed the musical-instrument resale business Music Go Round.
- 1992
Once Upon a Child is acquired
[1]Winmark added the children’s clothing and toy resale concept to its portfolio.
- 1988
Play It Again Sports Franchise Corporation is incorporated
[1]Ron Olson and Jeffrey Dahlberg acquired Play It Again Sports franchise rights from Martha Morris and formed the company that became Winmark.
Products and positioning
A specialized resale franchisor focused on value-oriented, locally sourced merchandise and franchisee-operated retail concepts.
Sports equipment resale · 1983
Play It Again Sports
Winmark’s original and largest retail concept buys, sells, and exchanges used sports equipment, including items for team sports, fitness, outdoor recreation, and related activities. Stores may also sell new equipment and accessories. The concept is built around local trade-ins and the practical value of equipment that remains usable after its first owner no longer needs it.
Children’s apparel and goods resale · 1985
Once Upon a Child
Once Upon a Child buys and sells children’s clothing, shoes, toys, and related goods. The concept serves families seeking affordable products and provides a local channel for reselling items that children quickly outgrow. Its merchandise mix can include both pre-owned and new products.
Musical instrument resale · 1986
Music Go Round
Music Go Round specializes in buying, selling, and exchanging used musical instruments, equipment, and accessories. It gives musicians access to lower-cost instruments and gear while creating a marketplace for sellers. Stores may supplement pre-owned inventory with new products.
Teen and young-adult apparel resale · 1998
Plato’s Closet
Plato’s Closet purchases and resells branded clothing, shoes, and accessories for customers broadly in the 12-to-24 age range. Sellers are generally paid at the time of purchase rather than through a traditional consignment arrangement. The concept emphasizes current styles and recognizable brands at discounted prices.
Women’s apparel resale · 2013
Style Encore
Style Encore buys and sells used women’s clothing, footwear, handbags, jewelry, and related accessories. It extends Winmark’s resale model into a broader adult apparel segment and pays sellers directly for accepted merchandise.
Computer equipment resale · 1993
Computer Renaissance
A former concept selling new and used computers, memory, monitors, printers, games, and related services. Winmark sold the business after determining that fast technological change weakened the resale value of much of its merchandise.
Recorded music resale · 1994
Disc Go Round
A former used and new compact-disc retail chain. Winmark acquired the business under another name, rebranded it, and later sold it to CD Warehouse.
Game resale · 1997
It’s About Games
A former chain selling used PC, video, and board games. Winmark acquired the business in the 1990s but sold or closed its stores after operational and inventory problems produced significant losses.
Tool resale · 1999
ReTool
A former used-tool retail concept launched by Winmark in Chicago. The company later exited the business after difficulty sourcing sufficient consumer-supplied tools.
Brand decisions
2013
Style Encore is introducedProduct launchBackground
Winmark identified an opportunity to apply its resale and franchise expertise to women’s apparel and accessories.
Action taken
The company announced Style Encore and opened the first location in Texas later that year.
Aftermath
Style Encore became the fifth active retail concept in Winmark’s portfolio.
2000
Winmark restructures around franchisee-owned storesStrategyBackground
The company was suffering from weak financial performance and was close to bankruptcy, while several company-controlled or acquired concepts were underperforming.
Action taken
John Morgan tightened franchisee financial reviews, closed or sold weak operations, changed senior management and board membership, and shifted the business away from owning stores directly.
Aftermath
The restructuring restored profitability and established the franchise-support model that became central to Winmark’s later growth.
1998
Winmark acquires Plato’s ClosetM&ABackground
The company sought additional specialized resale categories with franchise potential.
Action taken
Winmark purchased Plato’s Closet from Dennis and Lynn Blum and added the youth-apparel concept to its portfolio.
Aftermath
Plato’s Closet became one of Winmark’s principal active brands in the United States and Canada.
Recent events
- 2016
Brett Heffes succeeds John Morgan as chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Winmark announced that president Brett Heffes would become CEO while Morgan moved to the executive-chairman role.
- 2013
Winmark launches Style Encore[1]
Product launch
The company introduced a franchise concept centered on buying and selling used women’s apparel and accessories.
- 2001
Winmark adopts its current corporate name[1]
Leadership change
Grow Biz International was renamed Winmark Corporation after a restructuring led by John Morgan.
Sources1 sources
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