A Momma’s Secret Weapon

Just Between Friends – A Momma’s Secret Weapon

Dirt, holes, stains, wear and tear!  This is the story for the poor clothing that comes into my home.  I have 2 little boys and, seriously, jean knees don’t stand a chance.  T-shirts . . . give up!  The battle has been lost!  This used to drive me crazy!  I would come into a room and find one child had covered the other in organic peanut butter and honey and my day would be ruined.  Hello!  Can a momma get a shower around here!

My whole perspective was changed in an instant when a friend handed me a colorful postcard advertising Just Between Friends, a children’s consignment sale in the community where I lived at the time.  What I experienced on my first visit to a Just Between Friends sale put my “stressed about stains” world into a whirlwind of excitement.  Here in front of me was a huge, very organized, bargain hunters dream!  You mean I can buy cute clothing that won’t break the bank and make me cry when the boys ruin them!  Yeah . . . I was hooked!  Life moved us around quite a bit and we have had the opportunity to shop larger, well-established Just Between Friends sales and smaller ones that were just getting started.  As we’ve wandered, my husband and I have consistently wondered why no one had started an event like this in our hometown.  We just knew this type of sale was needed in Central Iowa.  Fast forward a couple years and here we are preparing for our third event in Des Moines with the goal of helping families save money on everything they need from newborn to teen!  JBF is a children’s and maternity consignment event happening once in the spring and once in the fall.  There are over a hundred sales all around the country run by families just like yours and mine who have a desire to get great bargains, bring money back into their homes, recycle their children’s items and help their community.

Here’s how it works:

1. You tag your items using our easy, online tagging system.  You even set your own prices and write your own descriptions.  JBF gives a listing of recommended price points, but you can price your items and describe them however you like.
2. You drop your items at the event and we take it from there.  We inspect for recalls, stains, missing parts and anything else that would keep items from being a great find for our shoppers.
3. You shop!  Really, this is the fun part!  You will save 50-90% on clothing, shoes, toys, educational games, bikes, outdoor toys, books and more!
4.  At the end of the sale, you can pick-up your unsold items or we can donate them for you and give you a tax deduction slip from the charity we have partnered with for the sale.
5. You get paid!

We are run by volunteers, mostly moms and dads, just like you.  Our volunteers earn a higher percentage on their items and they get to shop first!  We always partner with a charity who will receive any donated items after the sale.

We invite you to join us April 5-7 at Events Center West in West Des Moines.  We are accepting consignors for this event and online signup is simple and fast.  For all the details on how to sign up, what we accept and more, check us out at jbfsale.com/desmoines and see how consigning can help you shop, sell and save!  Now that’s smart!    Stains . . .You can’t run my day!