Rebecca Mitchell, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·4 min read
Nov. 11—ROCHESTER — Shelley Yohe is focused on the community.
As the owner of Just Between Friends, a children's resale with three pop-up sales a year, Yohe sees the "really big need" for families to have more affordable ways to shop. Both consignors and buyers come from area communities, and many unsold items are donated to Gage East and Christmas Anonymous.
"I am really in love with our community, Rochester and the surrounding towns, and this is one way that I can give back," Yohe said, who is wrapping up her first year as owner.
For her own family, Yohe said the financial benefits are "huge," from lowering their finances to having vacation and school tuition funds. And "with inflation right now, I think our families really need a way to stretch a dollar," Yohe noted.
Shelley and her husband, Shane, use a "zero-dollar budget" for their two young children on items such as clothing and toys by selling used items and then utilizing those funds to purchase upcoming-sized clothing. The trend is one many consignors follow to help with savings and making ends meet.
"We have used Just Between Friends since I was expecting them," Yohe said. "We started off with the maternity clothes, the baby equipment and now we're moving up through the toys, clothing and ride-ons. We have always been on a zero-dollar budget for our children."
While her "sale brain" started early on Friday, the entire sale is a "win, win, win situation," Yohe said. Families are able to sell items, purchase lower-priced items at 50% to 90% of retail prices and donate to charities. The locally owned franchise has supported families in Rochester for 10 years as part of the national organization. JBF has two semi-annual sales with a new holiday sale this weekend.
Families support each other by selling their "unused, unwanted, outgrown" items. Consignors also decide to donate their items after the sale, which go to Gage East and Christmas Anonymous in Rochester. Other items are picked up and brought back to the next sale. About 50 percent of the items are also new.
"We do sponsor a family every Christmas so then we go shopping here and we help out a family in need as well as we're just teaching our children not to keep everything they have. If they buy a new toy then they get to sell a toy," Yohe said. "It's just helping others as a whole."
While walking the aisles of clothes, toys, baby equipment, shoes and games at the last sale, Yohe met a mother and her daughter who picked out toys the mother could say yes to based on their price.
"She thanked us for being here for her child because she was able to get these amazing toys at 90% off on the half-off Sunday sale and for once she was able to say yes to her child that she could get several new toys, which you cannot do at a retail store when you're going up and down the aisles. The prices are going up, obviously, but they're high to start with," Yohe said. "That really meant a lot to me that I could be there for her to provide for her daughter, and her daughter was so extremely happy."
Yohe said the holiday sale focuses on "giftable items," such as toys, books, teacher gifts, stocking stuffers and teen items. The sale runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Olmsted County Fairgrounds 4-H building. The sale is open to anyone with kids in their life. Yohe welcomes people to come to the sale multiple times and to bring their children.
With "many, many hats" during the sales, Yohe said "I work on this sale every single day." She's an accountant, hiring manager, cashier, customer service representative, delivery person, marketer, social media manager and owner.
And she's excited to grow the resource. In 2023, Just Between Friends will expand to Winona and Owatonna to support more families.
"We just want to help people," Yohe said.
For more information, visit
or their
Facebook page
, Just Between Friends- Rochester MN.
What: Just Between Friends holiday sale
When: Continues 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Olmsted County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, 1508 Aune Drive, Rochester.
Cost: Free admission.
