Hello! We're located at 639 N Callow Ave, Bremerton, WA 98312

People’s Exchange creates inclusive and accessible spaces for individuals to connect through learning, organizing, playing, working, and resource sharing without barriers. At PEX, we're dedicated to nurturing a liberated and supportive community in West Bremerton that champions self-advocacy, collective action, reciprocity, and sustainability.

History

On 11/11/23 thirty five friends and neighbors got together to talk about the possibility of purchasing the old HiLo’s Cafe building and turning it into a community resource. It was a long shot, and offers rolled in for HiLo’s too quickly for us to compete with, but we kept getting together and sent out a survey to collect information on what kind of community space people would like to see. There was a lot of interest in marginalized safety and self-advocacy, resource distribution like lending libraries and meal shares, indoor play for children, bookable times for meetings and events, and quiet work spaces outside of cafe and library hours.

From that original gathering, the nine people who continued meeting initiated the formation of People's Exchange, a cooperatively run community space. May 31st, 2024 People's Exchange (PEX) was established as Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) registered in Washington State. The nine founding members became our Stewards of the space, collaboratively managing the business. Our team of volunteer Stewards open the door to community events, maintain and repair the building, tackle operations and finances, and build community partnerships.

Use of the Space

We are committed to making the use of the space as barrier free as possible. Our goal is to keep everything free or pay what you can models. Classes and workshops are often Pay What You Can, nearly all of the merchandise we sell is Name Your Price and there are plenty of things we give away for free, yes FREE. We offer a combination of Open Hours to come hang out, scheduled programming and special events.

Some of our programming is put on by our Stewards, but the far majority of what takes place at PEX comes from community members that want to share their unique skills or resources with the world. We pair community members up with Stewards to help facilitate their goals.

This current building does not have to be the be-all, end-all of community space plans, but it’s a good chance to see what kind of work the Callow/Charleston neighborhood can support. If we’re far exceeding operating costs every quarter, then we know we have room to grow!

Possible uses for the space are:

  • Classes
  • Events
  • Workshops
  • Skill shares
  • Meetings and meetups
  • Quiet work hours
  • Kids play hours
  • Open use time
  • Resource distribution

We're excited to hear YOUR dreams about the space. What would you like to host at PEX? Use our Event Form to start collaborating.