Excelty, pronounced XLT, is a plus size thrift store that opened in February of this year. Located at 1110 S. Water St. in Kent, the store carries both mens and women’s clothing from sizes XL to 7X. 

Lisa Wojnowicz opened Excelty because she and her husband had difficulty finding affordable clothing in their sizes for years. She explained having to drive long distances and pay a small fortune to find clothes that worked for them.

The average size for women in The United States is 16-18 which is XL-XXL (Medill). However, according to Vogue, dress options that are a US 14 and above have decreased by 15 percent each year. 

Old Navy ended its “BODEQUALITY” campaign in less than a year, deciding that there was not enough demand for plus size clothes in stores (Carroll News). Also retailers that have traditionally catered to the plus-size market have reduced their options (Vogue).

“I’ve known about the gap in the plus size community my whole life” said Wojnowicz. After thinking about it for 10 years she opened her store with the goal of “Helping the plus sized community feel better in their skin and find nice things for affordable prices” Said Wojnowicz.

Mojnowicz worked in a corporate job for 28 years before she opened Excelty. Now that she runs the store she is able to experiment more with her own fashion. “I had no idea how much I enjoyed fashion until I started here… I’m getting a sense of my own personal fashion, not corporate Lisa, and that’s really fun” Said Mojnowicz. 

She also has a lot of fun helping customers find clothes. “It’s really fun to dress customers when they come in and they’re like ‘Oh I’m looking for this, can you help me?’ and it makes my day, Especially when people leave here and they find exactly what they want” Said Mojnowicz. 

Mojnowicz was thinking about accessibility when setting up the store. Each fitting room in Excelty has a fan so customers are comfortable changing. The isles and fitting rooms also have enough space for wheelchair users to easily shop. 

Theresa Patrick was also shopping at Excelty and picked out a few things. “I like coming here because I know I’m going to find something, I can’t say that going into every store,” Said Patrick. 

Each day Excelty staff does six loads of laundry and checks the donation bins for new clothing. Donations are separated in the back and prioritized for washing.

Anything in the donation bin that is not plus sized is donated to Portage Job and Family Services. Portage Job and Family Services distributes the clothing to organizations in Portage County where people can go for free clothing.

Kent Social Services is on the same street as Excelty and always has its food needs posted on the sign outside. Wojnowicz noticed this and thought of a creative way to help out Kent Social Services with their food needs as well as earn Excelty customers discounts. Customers who bring in food items get 20 percent off of their purchases. 

Excelty also helps out Kent Social Services by allowing them to bring in those in need and shop at a discounted rate. 

Excelty does not buy or consign apparel. However due to high demands Mojnowicz will buy bulk loads of clothing size 4X and up. It’s more difficult to keep those sizes in stock. Anyone can bring donations in the store during business hours or leave clothing in the donation bin.

Every week Excelty has a different sale going on. Typically it is 30 percent off sale every week and it rotates different clothing. In the past few weeks there have been sales on dresses, women’s pants, and mens apparel.There is also going to be a Black Friday sale on November 29th.

“I want this to be the first place people go when they’re extra large and up, and be able to find what they need,” Said Mojnowicz.

Sources:

Ali, Abigail. “Why Aren’t Major Clothing Brands Extending Sizes When More than Two-Thirds of U.S. Women Are Considered Overweight?” Medill Reports Chicago, 3 Oct. 2024, news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/why-arent-major-clothing-brands-extending-sizes-when-more-than-two-thirds-of-u-s-women-are-considered-overweight/.

Lucy Maguire, Nateisha Scott. “Face Lifts and New Wardrobes: Predictions for the Luxury Industry in the Age of Ozempic.” Vogue Business, 18 July 2024, www.voguebusiness.com/story/beauty/face-lifts-and-new-wardrobes-predictions-for-the-luxury-industry-in-the-age-of-ozempic#:~:text=As%20the%20most%20recent%20Vogue,least%20one%20plus%2Dsize%20model.

Maxwell, Anna. “The Lack of plus Size Clothing in Stores.” The Carroll News, carrollnews.org/236452/arts-and-life/the-lack-of-plus-size-clothing-in-stores/#:~:text=Many%20retail%20clothing%20companies%20have,if%20they%20do%20not%20fit. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Customers interviewed did not want to be photographed.