Saint John thrift store promotes body positivity by offering plus-size clothing

A new store in Saint John offers an inclusive range of styles for plus sized Maritimers.

Cheri Armstrong knows firsthand how finding clothing options can be as a person who is plus-sized.

“It is really disheartening to walk into a store with the hopes of finding something to wear, and then to walk out empty handed,” Armstrong says. “I’ve always been a plus-size person, and I’d always struggle with finding the proper outfits to wear and finding them at affordable prices. It’s been a real struggle for a lot of people in Saint John.”

Not only are larger sizes difficult to find, Armstrong says most stores carry a limited stock of plus-sized clothing and once they are sold they rarely see a restock.

That led to a dream 20 years in the making for Armstrong that has now come to fruition. The entrepreneur has recently opened the Just Plus Thrift Boutique on Saint John’s lower west side.

The storefront specializes in offering plus-size clothing options for both men and women. The clothing sizes range from large to 6XL.

“It’s hard to feel your best in an outfit that isn’t your favorite,” says Armstrong. “That’s where this dream came from, to make it a little bit easier for people to find that dream outfit, to be able to dress themselves so that they feel confident and feel good about their bodies just the way they are right now.”

Armstrong says she designed her space to be a “beacon for body positivity” with messages scattered across the store.

Some captions are simple, like “all bodies are good bodies.” Others are a little wittier while still promoting the store’s important message, such as, “if Pooh Bear can wear a crop top, so can you!”

Armstrong says they serve as a reminder her store is a safe shopping experience no matter your size or style.

“There are no rules about fashion,” according to Armstrong. “We’ve been told for too long as plus-size people, you have to wear black, you can’t wear patterns, don’t wear stripes, but all these rules were meant to be broken.”

“When you come in here it’s a positive message,” she adds. “We’re going to jack you up when you try stuff on, you’re going to do a fashion show when you come out of the fitting rooms, and we’re going to help you find the right stuff that makes you feel good.”

As a born and raised west sider, Armstrong says it was an easy decision where to open her dream store.

The lower west side has few shopping options, especially when compared to the city’s east side and uptown, which are plentiful with shopping options.

“I wanted to really look for a neighborhood where I could give it a boost, where we could return to maybe having some retail,” she says, adding she hopes her storefront can become somewhat of a gathering place for the community.

The clothes come through textile recycling, meaning they were designated for a landfill as “deadstock” despite the majority of them still boasting their original price tags.

In the new year, Armstrong says she plans to begin accepting donations of both men and women’s plus-sized clothing as well.

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