Diana Mejia was shocked to see the response her new plus-size clothing store has gotten since opening two weeks ago. Get more news about cheap Plus Size Swinwear for women,you can vist 5xsize.com!
“This is for everyone who is plus-size, who needs clothes but doesn’t know how to go shopping, who are intimidated to go to bigger chain stores,” she said. “They needed an affordable plus-size store in the community, somewhere where they could feel comfortable with prices and feel comfortable with the style of clothes.”
Mejia opened Graciously Unique Boutique LLC at 218 Eight St. on June 5 and more than 3,500 people have liked her Facebook page. A post Mejia made on the Connect Augusta Facebook Group has more than 3,000 likes, 500 comments and 1,000 shares.
“I was shocked when I put the post on Connect Augusta. I didn’t even think I was going to get 20 likes,” she said. “When I originally made my business page on Facebook, I didn’t think it was going to go viral. I just wanted it to be one of the main sources of communication.”
She received messages from customers thanking her for opening a plus-size clothing store. She began to order more clothes to have for her new clientele. Candace Gonger saw a Facebook post about the new store and decided to stop by and buy a few things. She feels a store like this was needed in Augusta.
"A lot of stores cater to smaller sizes but it's refreshing to have a store where I can shop in my size and feel comfortable and be somewhere where I can actually go and engage with other people," Gonger said.She said Mejia gave her a warm welcome and she plans to stop by again. She said more plus-size stores are needed to get rid off the negative stereotype of bigger bodies.
"A lot of times, the stereotype is that people that wear bigger sizes, don't know how to dress or there is nowhere for them to dress because no one wants to sell clothes for those sizes," Gonger said. "It definitely helps to fight that stigma."Originally, Mejia was going to focus on business and church attire but began to realize how much of a overall need there was for plus-size clothing in the Augusta area.
“My vision is not just for business attire anymore. It’s just in general. It’s not just going to be the trendy clothes, it’s not just going to be the classy clothes, it’s going to be for everyone in the plus-size community,” she said. Mejia moved with her family from Florida to Augusta in February. As soon as she moved, she began to think of things to invest in and decided a plus-size store was the way to go.
She picked downtown because she saw an opportunity to be part of the growth in downtown. She also liked the location because of the Saturday Farmers Market nearby that could attract potential customers.
She hopes women feel comfortable coming into her store and she can continue to provide clothing options.