Four clothing enthusiasts came together to create the ultimate one-stop-vintage shop for bigger bodies.
Maura Hampton, Tricia Stoecklin, K Scott and Erica Hallmann created Ethical Bodies x the Good-ish (2218 South Jefferson Avenue) by combining their separate online, pop-up thrift stores into one brick and mortar in south St. Louis. It opens Saturday with a sizable grand opening celebration.
The store in the McKinley Heights neighborhood will focus primarily on clothing for bigger bodies, size large and up, but will still offer size-inclusive pop-ups.
“It is a very niche thing that we're doing,” says Stoecklin. “I think it's because we all live in fat bodies. We've all experienced that, no matter when that fatness came. Having a sense of community is one of the biggest things that I think we were wanting to create.”
The women want Ethical Bodies x the Good-ish to feel as though you were shopping with your best friend.
“I feel as if a lot of fat people don't get that opportunity to be in a space where they're at their friend's house and they're like, ‘Oh, can I borrow a shirt?’” Hampton adds. “We don't get that opportunity. So when they come in here, I want people to be like, ‘Oh, cool, like, let me just try this on.’ I want them to feel like they're just hanging with friends.”
The idea is to provide not only clothing but an enjoyable shopping experience for all those who have ever felt left out in the fashion industry — especially bigger-bodied individuals who have fallen victim to society's idea of what plus-size clothing is.
“It's just so amazing hearing people when they come in and telling us this is a space where they’re liberated, where they’re free to be themselves, where they walk in and know there’s going to be things that are going to fit them,” says Hallmann. “Things that are actually going to be attractive, not just this thing that gets marketed especially in first-run fashion so much of the time” — bulky, sack-like garments with floral sashes and a little cold shoulder action.
“Love cold shoulders, sometimes but my shoulders don't need to be out all the time,” says Stoecklin. “There’s other cool parts of my body that are just as great.”
She adds, “I also think there's trust here because it's a shared lived experience. You look like me, so you understand what it's like because it's different. Garments are made differently, depending on being plus size or straight size, and you can tell when a garment is not made by a plus-size person because it feels like there's just added fabric, and you can't just do that because our proportions are different, the way our bodies move is different.”
To ensure the ultimate shopping experience, Hampton, Stoecklin, Scott and Hallmann not only made sure the dressing room was tall and wide enough for people to comfortably move around, but they also installed a fan to keep guests cool while changing between outfits. There’s also lounging space with a funky, purple couch and ottomans if needed.
“I really hope that we can create a one-stop shop for people to be like, ‘Oh, I can get necklaces but then I also need the necklace extender,’ and then they don't have to order it on Amazon,” explains Hampton. “They can get it here, they know this is where if you live in a larger body, if you come here and you can get the things that you need.”
They’ve also taken the time to make a universal size chart, meshing the two companies sizing together even while updating the vintage sizes to today’s.
“On the clothing tag it says a large, but we've measured it to our size chart and maybe it really measures to an extra large or a 2X, or it's a medium and we’re like, ‘Get this out of here,’ or vintage medium might actually not be a medium but an XL,” Hampton explains.
The idea for the shared store began after the two pop-ups continuously saw each other at thrifting events and markets.
“Maura and I had sort of been at the same events and kept seeing each other in passing,” Hallmann says. “But I think the first time we really had a longer conversation was at Fast Lane Vintage Market, and I remember us talking about how we happen to be the only vendors that had inclusive sizing.”
Hampton launched Ethical Bodies four years ago online.
“It really stemmed from me going to pop-ups and never being able to find anything in my size and the love of thrifting and the love of the hunt,” Hampton says. “So, I had a stockpile of things in my closet that someone needed, but maybe were a little too big or a little too small. I had a friend start a shop during COVID and she kind of inspired me and the rest is history.”
She quickly brought in Stoecklin, whom she’d met six years ago at a blogger event.
“We were both doing the plus-size blogger fashion blogger thing for a really long time. I was like ‘Ooh, I got to know her,’” Hampton recalls. “And she's been my best friend ever since then. And then we started doing pop-ups and then we just never looked back.”
As for Hellmann, she started the Good-ish in 2018.
“I had been thrifting, and it's very similar, picking something that somebody has to have, even if it doesn't fit me. After a lot of encouragement from different people in my life, being like, ‘You should make this a business, you should do this’ I finally did start selling and doing pop-ups.”
After meeting her partner, Scott, in 2021, the two set off on the business journey together.
“I went to our first ever May’s Night Market, and I was like, ‘I'm just gonna help out.’ But I ended up being like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is cool,’” Scott admits.
After being around the same events, they decided to team up to host the Big Body Bash at 2nd Shift Brewing last October, which turned out to be a huge success.
With that success still ringing, Hampton went on the hunt for a brick-and-mortar location — and found herself in one of the storefronts carved out of the historic former McKinley Theater.
“I had seen the space posted and was like, ‘Let's just do a little drive by,’ and then I saw how big the space was.” Not being sure she could handle that much square footage on her own, she reached out to the Good-ish.
“We got the keys on February 15 and turned it around in a month,” Hallmann says.
The store is now stocked with vintage clothing, accessories and home goods, all carefully sourced from their families, friends, estate sales, other thrift stores or donations.
“I’ve also recently started dabbling in the consignment field,” Hampton says. “There's a form attached to my Instagram that's for donation or consignment. I think that’s going to help us keep it stocked.”
To celebrate, Ethical Bodies x the Good-ish will be hosting its grand opening Saturday, March 23, and Sunday, March 24, from noon. to 4 p.m. with art by Lu Ray, libations by Saint Louis Hop Shop, coffee from the Spilt Milk Cafe and tarot cards by Naa-Dodua on Saturday; and jewels by Kuzaa Jade, infused lemonades from We Make Delicious and beer tastings with 2nd Shift Brewery on Sunday.
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