New consigment shop offers plus-sized options

Creating the perfect wardrobe without shelling out a lot of cash is no longer a challenge for women with curves.

Greater Than 13 is a new consignment store in Hubert that offers affordable plus size clothing and accessories for women. With more than 4,000 items in stock, customers can find casual, business and formal wear in sizes ranging from 12 to 6x.

Owner Allison Barnes said she has endured the frustration of finding clothing in larger sizes. The idea for Greater Than 13 began when the Jacksonville resident tried to find a dress for her daughter’s high school homecoming last year.  

“My daughter had a homecoming to go to and she's a size 15,” Barnes said. “I took her to all of the dress shops from here to Wilmington and they had nothing but size zeros. I couldn't find anything so I ended up ordering a dress in California.”

Barnes said she was inspired to open her own business one day after seeing her own mother’s entrepreneurial skills as a child.

“I grew up on thrift stores because my mom was really big on them and she also opened up her own consignment shop in our house,” Barnes said. “I remember seeing all the racks and the clothes and seeing the women come in and she would have a big event in the yard.”

The stay-at-home mom of three began taking entrepreneur classes at Coastal Carolina Community College and opened her location in May. She was surprised to find that there were many other women and teens like her daughter who were on the hunt for stylish clothing.

“I’ve had people come all the way from Kinston looking for 5x sizes, so they are out there,” she said. “I helped a mother recently and she couldn't find a dress for her daughter’s sweet 16, and I had one here for her.”

Greater than 13 also offers customers a chance to make money from the items in their own closets. Barnes gives customers a 60-day period to earn 50 percent on sales of used clothing and accessories.

“Usually I want larger sizes. I'm not going to take the smaller sizes because they are not coming here,” Barnes said. “I want them to be 12 or 13 and up, clean with no stains and something that someone would want to buy. It's a 50-50 split of the sale prices, and people appreciate that so I feel they should earn money off of their clothes too.”

Jodi Meece of Richlands was happy to give up her old clothes in order to make room for something new.

“My youngest is 7 months and I lost all of my baby weight so I needed to update my wardrobe,” Meece said. “It's still hard to find clothes in my size and stores are very limited in what they sell and may be expensive. When the Marine Corps Ball comes around I will definitely be back to get my dress because it's hard to find ball gowns that are big enough to fit me.”

Hubert resident Nancy Toms said that she enjoyed shopping in a store where plus size customers feel welcome and it’s comfortable to shop and try on clothes. 

“She’s very friendly and easy to talk to and you’re very comfortable when you’re in there,” Toms said. “It's like talking to a friend, and I’ve seen her talking with other people and she's the same way with everyone.”

Barnes said that women and girls of every age can find something in Greater Than 13, including shoes, jewelry, swimwear and more.

 “I’ve had teenagers up to an 86-year-old woman coming in here,” Barnes said. “I have regulars already and some people are coming back every week now. I’m getting 20 to 40 new items every day and that's keeping the people coming back.”

Although her business is fairly new, Barnes said her goal is to eventually expand and reach out to customers beyond Onslow County.  She hopes to make shopping an experience that every woman can enjoy.

“My goal is to have the largest selection of plus sizes in Eastern North Carolina,” she said. “People from surrounding areas can come here and find a dress and won't be limited to just that one rack in the corner of the store.”

Greater Than 13 Consignment is located at 1537 Freedom Way, Suite 2, near Matsuya Oriental Market. Hours of operation are Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 910-238-4624, email greaterthan13@yahoo.com or visit greaterthan13.com.

Contact Aniesa Holmes at 910-219-8473 or aholmes@freedomenc.com.