It’s not your typical rummage sale, flea market or thrift store, but rather a chance to shop and consign for a good cause.
That’s how co-owner Nonna Mikat, a 14-year Kitsap County resident, described the mission behind Just Between Friends of Bremerton, one of a chain of over 150 pop-up consignment stores nationwide created with the idea of providing quality products at a cheap price while also putting money back in parents’ pockets.
“Raising kids is expensive,” she said, “and even more so during times of inflation like we’re experiencing now. JBF is a great resource for that, to make a family’s dollar stretch.”
Searching for sales is exactly what brought Mikat to a closer bond with her partner in business, Katie Pursey. “She’s the one who taught me how to consign at the JBF event, and so we both really have a passion for making our families’ dollars stretch, and it feels like a privilege to share that with our community,” Mikat said.
Now as the new co-owners of JBF Bremerton, they hope to continue bringing costs down on items anybody in the family needs from first-time mothers to second-hand shoppers. The organization does so by utilizing consignment—sellers bringing in a plethora of gently used, good-condition items. These range from season-appropriate clothing, toys, diapers, maternity items, sporting goods and electronics.
Most importantly to JBF, quality is the name of the game when filtering through all the options. All items are vetted for any sort of defect from the smallest stain to a full-on recall.
“What we want to do is not just provide huge quantities of cheap things,” Mikat explained. “We want to provide quality items at an affordable price so Kitsap County families can find the items that they need that last a long time, and in many cases, long enough that they can bring it back and consign it when they’re done with it.”
The items that make it to the shelves are sold for significantly less than retail prices, with sellers earning up to 70% back when their items are sold.
Even for items not sold, the goodness of the event continues. “After the sale is finished, they can come back and sort through the items that they want to keep and give away. I would say about 60% of our consignors choose to donate,” Mikat said.
Those donations go straight to Kitsap County charities, assuring that the items stay local and that they will be put to good use. Mikat said it’s an incredible way to keep the mission Kitsap-focused. She also hinted at more work being done to expand who receives certain items. “We’re also beginning to look into specializing our donations. For example, we would really love someone who specifically is in need of books to have those books donated there,” she said.
JBF Bremerton is set to open its doors once again for its fall sale at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Oct. 11-14.
