Sustainability is surging in popularity. Consumers are ditching corporations for secondhand stores, and social media movements like “underconsumption core” are resonating with younger generations on digital platforms like TikTok. In other words, thrifting is cool.
But sustainability isn’t a fad at Just Between Friends, a concept selling gently used, secondhand children’s clothing, toys and maternity items. CEO Tracy Panase says it’s everything.
Panase became a Just Between Friends franchisee in 2008 and acquired the company from co-founder Shannon Wilburn in 2022. Now well into her roles as owner and CEO, she said the 150-unit brand centralizes its mission around sustainability and charitable efforts.
Related: Top Franchisee Buys Resale Franchise Just Between Friends and Takes CEO Role
“It really started out of a need for parents to be able to clothe and entertain their children affordably,” Panase said. “This was in 1997 when Shannon started the company, and I don’t think sustainability was at the front of her mind. But as we’ve evolved, we know that we have a real opportunity to have an impact on our communities. Thrifting is not a buzzword for us. It is really who we are and what we do.”
Just Between Friends CEO Tracy Panase was a franchisee of the brand before purchasing the company from its co-founder.
A Just Between Friends franchise is different from the traditional brick-and-mortar store experience. Franchisees host two to five pop-up events each year in their community. Events take place at spaces 15,000 square feet or larger, such as warehouses, expo centers, fairgrounds and local sports fields.
As a result, the company’s investment cost is on the lower end; its franchise disclosure document reports a range of $66,665 to $97,515. Franchisees need not worry about year-round overhead, inventory and employees, Panase said.
While sustainability is now essential to Panase’s life work, she did not have a personal interest in thrifting or consignment stores prior to Just Between Friends.
“In fact, I had somewhat of a stigma where I was unsure about quality,” she admitted.
Her view flipped upon working with the company, discovering parents did not have to sacrifice quality for lower prices or sustainability. In reality, she said, these factors could be prioritized simultaneously.
“It’s a three-legged stool that people have,” she said. “Parents can save money, they can make money, and they can do good for the environment. It’s possible to have it all.”
The company ensures quality control with product safety specialists responsible for inspecting items for three factors: clean, current and complete. Specialists check for recalls and ensure donations are compliant with safety standards and regulations.
Even with strict acceptance measures, Panase said an average event holds about 200,000 items, with larger ones having up to 600,000. An average event can see nearly 3,500 shoppers on average, with upwards of 14,000 shoppers at larger events over a three-to-five-day period.
Franchisees host two to five pop-up events each year in their community. An average event holds about 200,000 items, with larger ones having upwards of 600,000.
Rather than a visit to the landfill, unsold items are either picked up by the seller or donated to families in the community via local charities.
Just Between Friends partners with more than 700 charities nationwide. Franchisees are afforded flexibility in their charitable efforts with personal ties to their community. For example, California franchisees can choose to serve families affected by the wildfires, and those down south can choose to donate items to families impacted by hurricanes.
Charitable efforts are “at the heart of JBF,” Panase said.
“The secret sauce for what we do is we create community within communities,” she added. “We’re able to connect the dots to show the impact to a real family … It puts a face and a story behind the product.”
Just Between Friends has a goal of reaching $100 million worth of in-kind donations by 2030. The company reached nearly $10 million last year alone, contributing to its lifetime total of $76 million worth of items rehomed and kept out of landfills.
Franchisees host events in 33 states, but Panase has her eyes set on 50. Building brand awareness through leveraging community relationships is how she finds it a feasible goal.
“These are locally owned and operated events, so our franchise owners are part of their community,” she said. “We never want our franchise owners to go dark during the off-season. It’s staying the face of the brand by consistently posting on social media, consistently sending out email and getting people really ramped up for the events.”
Successfully running and franchising a sustainability-oriented business comes down to one thing: authenticity. Having kids in their mid- to late-20s, Panase has personally noticed the importance of authenticity among Gen Z and Millennial consumers.
As more brands look to incorporate sustainability into their franchise models, Panase said consumers can see through the smoke and mirrors and detect which brands are “greenwashing,” or misleading people to believe they are more eco-friendly than in reality.
“You need to model behavior,” she said. “If we say we’re a brand that’s focused on sustainability yet don’t have a recycling bin at our event, we say we care about our community yet don’t donate or don’t volunteer when a crisis happens … It’s more than what we say. It’s what we do.”
This story has been updated to clarify that Shannon Wilburn is the co-founder of Just Between Friends, which she started in 1997 with Daven Tackett.
