What Just Between Friends does

Just Between Friends (JBF) is a Pennsylvania-incorporated, privately-held franchisor operating a nationwide network of pop-up consignment sales events for gently-used children's and maternity clothing, toys, books, and baby gear. The company was founded in 1997 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Daven Tackett and Shannon Wilburn, and its corporate headquarters are located at 78 Grandview Blvd, Reading, PA. As of the most recent disclosures, the franchise system spans 160 units across 32 states with 150+ active event locations, and the company states it has served over 1 million families since inception.

The core product is a recurring, locally-hosted consignment sale event: consignors tag and drop off outgrown items using a proprietary JBF tagging system, shoppers browse organized sections in person and purchase items at 50-90% off retail, sellers receive 60-70% of each sale within 15 days of the event, and unsold items are channeled to local charity partners. No proprietary digital platform, mobile app, or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the technology stack consists of the jbfsale.com website, a franchise portal at jbfsalefranchise.com, an internal login portal at fc.jbfsale.com, and location-specific social media pages.

JBF monetizes through three revenue streams: (1) franchise/license fees from independent franchisees operating local events under the Just Between Friends Franchise System, Inc. mark; (2) consignor fees set individually by each franchisee and deducted from seller earnings; and (3) the franchisees' retained share of sale proceeds after the seller commission, credit card processing fees, and sales taxes. With only 11-50 corporate employees and roughly $1.24 million of disclosed lifetime external funding, JBF operates as a lean franchisor that has scaled primarily through organic unit growth and franchise reinvestment rather than venture capital. The model is reinforced by a sustainability narrative, with each event diverting up to 21,000 pounds of clothing and 12,000 pounds of plastics from local landfills, and a cumulative $76.5 million in in-kind charitable donations since founding.

Name

Just Between Friends

Legal name

Just Between Friends Franchise System, Inc.

Website

https://jbfsale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Just Between Friends is a private franchisor of pop-up consignment sales events for gently-used children's and maternity items, operating 160+ units across 32 US states and serving over one million families through community-driven events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Consignment Events

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (459510), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids & Maternity Secondhand (Clothing, Gear, Toys) (CRAFAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Price Toys, Games & Family General Merchandise Retail (CRAEACAG), Traditional Toy Stores (CRALAFAA)

Keywords

• Children's consignment events
• Kids resale marketplace
• Franchise consignment sales
• Maternity consignment events
• Used children's clothing

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consignor Fees: Each franchisee charges consignors (sellers) a fee to participate in consignment sales events. The fee structure is set by individual franchisees and posted on their websites in advance of each event. Sellers receive a percentage of the sale price after deducting the consignor fee.
2. Franchise Fees: Revenue generated from licensing the JBF brand and business model to independent franchisees. JBF Franchise System, Inc. is the franchisor that licenses rights to independent franchisees to use the company's brand and systems in hosting Just Between Friends Consignment Sales Events.
3. Seller Commission Split: Franchisees retain the balance of sale proceeds after deducting consignor fees, credit card processing fees, and sales taxes. Sellers receive 60-70% of sale price per item sold.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Just Between Friends operates a franchise network of pop-up community consignment sales events across more than 150 locations in 32 U.S. states where families can buy gently-loved children's clothing, toys, baby gear, books, and maternity items at 50-90% off retail prices, and consign outgrown items to earn 60-70% of the sale price. Independent franchisees host the events under the JBF brand, charge consignor participation fees, and split proceeds with sellers.

Product overview

Just Between Friends operates as a nationwide children's and maternity consignment sale network offering sustainable, affordable community events. The core offering consists of pop-up consignment sales events where families can shop for gently-loved kids' clothes, toys, baby gear, and more at 50-90% off retail, or sell their outgrown items through a consignment model earning 60-70% per sale. The platform includes a proprietary tagging system for item tracking, a locations finder for 150+ events across the United States, and a franchise program for entrepreneurs. The service is built around community impact, with charitable partnerships and environmental sustainability as core differentiators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Just Between Friends Consignment Sales Events Pop-up style community consignment sale events hosted by independent JBF franchisees across 150+ locations in 32 U.S. states, where families shop for and sell gently-used children's clothing, toys, baby gear, books, and maternity items.
• Kids Consignment Selling Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Sellers earn $600 or more per weekend event
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Charity PartnerscoreOthersEach JBF location partners with local charities as part of the consignment model. Sellers can choose to donate unsold items to these partner organizations. Donations support adoption agencies, refugee families, foster closets, children's literacy organizations, clothing closets, crisis centers, and food banks. Over $76.5 million in in-kind donations have been distributed to hundreds of charity partners across the country.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kid to Kid: Franchise resale concept owned by Winmark Corporation specializing in buying and selling gently-used children's and maternity clothing, toys, and equipment. Direct competitor targeting the same parent demographic with a year-round store model.
• Once Upon A Child: Resale franchise owned by Winmark Corporation that buys and sells used children's clothing, toys, and baby gear year-round in physical retail stores. Direct comparable in target customer (parents of young children) and product mix, differing in store-based versus event-based format.
• Rhea Lana's Consignment Events: Direct competitor operating seasonal pop-up children's and maternity consignment sales events across multiple U.S. states. Uses an almost identical franchise/event model selling gently-used kids' clothing, toys, and baby gear at discount prices.

Broad incumbents

• Plato's Closet: Winmark-owned resale franchise focused on teen and young adult clothing. Operates in a similar franchise-based resale model as JBF, sharing parent demographic and franchise economics, but targets a different age segment.
• Mercari: Online marketplace for selling secondhand goods including children's clothing, toys, and baby gear. Provides year-round digital resale channel that competes with JBF for consignor inventory.
• Clothes Mentor: Winmark-branded resale franchise focused on women's clothing. Shares franchise structure and resale DNA with JBF, but addresses a different end-customer (women selling and shopping) using a year-round store model.
• Poshmark: Large social commerce marketplace for secondhand fashion, including children's clothing. A digital alternative for consignors who might otherwise sell through JBF events, with on-demand liquidity versus JBF's seasonal event cadence.
• thredUP: Public online resale marketplace offering a broad assortment of secondhand women's and children's clothing. Competes with JBF for sellers of outgrown kids' clothing but operates as a national digital platform rather than a community event network.

Emerging players

• Swap.com: Online consignment and resale platform featuring children's and maternity clothing among other categories. Competes with JBF for both consignors and shoppers through year-round online convenience versus seasonal pop-up events.
• RealReal: Public online luxury consignment platform. While focused on higher-end apparel and accessories, it represents the broader shift toward digital consignment models that may pull seller inventory away from event-based operators like JBF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jbffranchise
• Facebookfacebook.com/JBFSale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/just-be

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Just Between Friends