Shop, Sell, Save Smart

Just Between Friends helps families stretch their budget.

A shopper loads up on ­low-price goodies at a Just Between Friends ­consignment sale.

As many parents know, buying clothes and the necessary ­equipment can be difficult, ­especially during back to school. Today’s economy has many ­families extending their take-home budget to the limit. The reality of the situation is that ­children, regardless of their age, need new clothes and shoes every change of season, and if Bobby or Susie is a fast grower, every other month it seems. Just Between Friends, the nation’s leading children’s and maternity consignment sales event, helps families bridge the gap when ­trying to make ends meet.

“Where do I begin?” asked Kathy Gentry, Just Between Friends franchise owner of Waco and recently acquired Broken Arrow/Bixby. “JBF helps young struggling families eat better because of the great savings,” she said. Typically shoppers can ­experience 50 to 90 percent off clothes and equipment compared to retail prices. “They can get quality items for their children at amazingly low prices and be able to buy the groceries that they need,” Gentry said. “Cost on everything is spiraling upward and JBF helps a family save. It’s the one place where cost of items isn’t going up.”

Families across the nation are realizing that shopping resale and consignment makes sense, and at the same time keeps their children looking like a million bucks without having to blow the family’s budget.

Amber Post, franchisee of Owasso and Southwest Tulsa, was a JBF shopper before she started organizing her own JBF events. “We were young college students, broke and on a tight budget,” Post explained. “My daughter was 6 months old the first time I shopped JBF, and that’s when her wardrobe started to take off.”

Before, Post had to rely on her mom and grandma to buy the really cute things. “I could only afford to buy her the basics and shop the clearance racks, but once I discovered JBF, it was like a dream come true,” she said. Suddenly Post could buy everything she wanted for her daughter (and then some) and not jeopardize the family’s budget. After shopping once, she decided to consign, and after receiving a check for $75 from items she consigned in the sale, all the time expecting to receive only $20, she was hooked. There were a few sales she made more that $500 and really thought she hit the jackpot.

“From then on it made so much sense for our family to always participate in JBF and not pay retail prices,” said Post. “My goal with selling and ­shopping JBF was to spend and earn about the same amount, ­typically $200 to $300. It was so easy to do, and that budget provided so much in terms of clothes, shoes, toys, books and more for the upcoming season.”

Frank Post, Amber’s ­husband who co-owns JBF Southwest Tulsa, falls into a rare breed of spouses who doesn’t have a problem with his wife’s shopping habits, especially when she shops at JBF. He has seen first-hand the impact a JBF sales event can have on families. “We had a mom whose husband had lost his job, and the sale was helping pay their mortgage while he was out of work,” he said. “So they participated in all the local JBF sales as a way to help them through this difficult time.” Frank also knows of many moms who use the sale to pay for their family’s summer vacation, such as using their JBF check to help fund a trip to Disney World.  

Of all the many benefits a Just Between Friends sales event offers to both consignors and shoppers, Daven Tackett is most pleased that the sale is a dignified way for a parent to buy ­children’s clothes at great ­savings. Moms and dads can feel good about letting their children wear and play with those items purchased at a JBF sales event. “My mother was divorced and disabled, trying to raise three girls on a fixed income. She did many creative things to make ends meet, ­including buying some of our clothes from resale and going to garage sales,” Tackett said, who is organizer of Just Between Friends Tulsa and co-founder of the JBF franchise system. “As kids, we didn’t know there was any other way to buy clothes. We were just always excited and ­happy about getting something new to wear.” Looking back, Tackett realizes that her mom was being resourceful as well as a smart shopper.

For the upcoming fall and winter sales events, Just Between Friends has four area sales to choose from. Owasso is ­scheduled for August 6-9 next to Reasor’s, followed by JBF Tulsa, the franchise system’s largest sales event, set for August 21-27 at Expo Square. Southwest Tulsa will occur September 9-11 at Glenpool Conference Center, with JBF Broken/Bixby taking place October 8-10 at The SpiritBank Event Center. For more specific information such as hours and locations, go to www.JBFSale.com. 

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Just Between Friends