Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kelsey Conser. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kelsey, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
Hi Kelsey, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved?
I serve the fat community. I know fat may be a jarring word for some but our community is taking it back and using it solely as a descriptor of our bodies and not our perceived value/attractiveness or anything else. The fashion industry has notoriously ignored the fat population making clothing inaccessible and costly. The goal of I Want Seconds is to keep plus size clothes physically and financially accessible for the fat community.
I have been fat since I was born. I came into this world as a large 10lb baby and am now a fat adult. I also grew up with a fat mother in the 80’s and 90’s when being fat was seen as such an appalling thing. This was the height of supermodels, starving oneself to be thin, Atkins, Weight Watchers and so many other weight loss fads. Watching how the world treated her and the shame and depression she suffered because of this was painful and made a lasting impression on me.
I have immersed myself in the fat community of Portland and have been helping lead community groups, art projects and resource pages revolving around being fat in this world. I had been working with local plus size resellers as a consignor and supporter (free labor). I also co-run a plus size event/community group (Chub Hub PDX) with almost 3K members. I saw that the plus size stores in town were struggling and I had a gut feeling that someday they might disappear. I wanted to make sure my community had access to clothing. So I opened a shop out of my garage and called it I Want Seconds ( get it?) I had so much fun with my garage pop ups, this went on for 3 years during the pandemic and was a great outdoor thing that was accessible to all (with masks of course).
Kelsey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Portland has had at least one plus size resale shop since 1989, a thing before its time. When the last surviving plus size thrift store in the area announced it was closing I knew someone needed to step up. I had worked in retail in my 20’s as a store manager and personal stylist so this was not the craziest idea. I also had my tiny garage shop going.I’d also like to think I had a good grip on what was in style and what people are looking for. When the last plus size resale shop announced it was closing I knew I was in a perfect position to just slide right in and take up the stead. After a few conversations with my closest relations and trusted confidants I reached out to the closing store to ask about taking over their lease. Thus I Want Seconds was born. I quit my career and started my shop.
I Want Seconds is the only 100% plus size resale shop between Seattle and L.A. This should give you an idea of how needed a store like this is. We specialize in statement pieces and extended sizes. After being open for a while and talking to my clients I realized this was SO much more than a store. This had become a safe space for people to live and love their bodies w/o judgement. I have people come from all over the world and when they come in they are moved to tears to be in a fat space. With that I realized how many people don’t see bodies like theirs represented in art so I have made it a goal to carry fat art and to decorate with giant pictures glorifying obesity and celebrating diverse bodies. Fat joy lives at I Want Seconds.
Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?
I took over the lease for a different plus size resale store that wasn’t able to survive Covid. They were the last surviving plus size resale shop in Oregon and I knew we couldn’t let this resource die.I reached out to the shop owner and asked about taking over the space. At first they asked if I would buy their brand. I knew their brand reputation had taken some hits in the past few years so I was not interested in taking that on. Fresh blood was needed and I had already started building my brand and client base. In the end we did the lease transfer. I also bought their fixtures and some of the inventory they had left. This gave me a huge head start on getting things going.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I would say going from my garage/home shop to a retail space was a HUGE pivot. This was something I would think about but never put any real plan in place to make it happen. I was happy in my career and the side gig was fun but not a job. When I learned about the opportunity I had less than 3 weeks to make HUGE life changes. Quit my career, open a business, figure out what all that looked like and let people know this was happening. It was a giant lift in a short amount of time. I got it done but by no means alone. If I could bestow advice for new business owners it would be to make sure to ask for help. You cannot do this alone. Use your community and accept help when it’s offered. The second thing I would advise is giving yourself grace. You WILL NOT be perfect right out of the gate. Allow yourself to grow. This is a journey and you can adjust and grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iwantsecondspdx.com
- Instagram: iwantsecondspdx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IWantSeconds
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/i-want-seconds-portland