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

People's Exchange (PEX) is a Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) registered in Washington State.

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.

Kit and Chase found out 639 was available on December 20th, and got the paperwork done by the end of the 21st to secure the keys for January. For now they are the only people on the lease, but are happy to cover costs until the organization is finalized and the lease can be transferred. The hope is to create a co-op where Member Stewards collaboratively run the space - open the door to community events, maintain and steward the building, tackle operations and finances, and build community partnerships.

Current

We're just getting started putting the business together, but have over the last 6 months participated in First Friday Art Walks, the first Annual Kitsap Anarchist Book Fair, hosted Mending Meetups (every second Friday!), DnD, and Queer Meetups (Sundays!), to name a few. We're excited to hear YOUR dreams about the space. What would you like to see at PEX?

Use of the Space

We are still in planning stages, but there is a desire to make sure that all use of the space is free, donation or pay what you can. We've discussed Patreon (or similar, TBD), Amazon wishlists, one-time donations, and possible memberships to fund our operating expenses. The plan is to make sure all funding and finances are written into the business plan and bylaws, and will be very transparent.

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