The jobs listed on Jeff Recker’s résumé can only be described as eclectic—Montana fishing guide, diamond broker, surgical equipment salesman, Hollywood actor. And on April 11 at 5:09 p.m., he added another to the list: women’s plus-size clothing salesman. That’s when he and a partner launched a web site, plussize.com.
After noticing the words “plus size” got several blind hits a day from Internet browsers, the two began researching the subject and reading Women’s Wear Daily. They soon learned that plus-size apparel sales are valued at $30 billion a year. “Once we figured that out,” says Recker, a 1989 graduate, “we asked, ‘How can we make this happen?’ It was a case of opportunity really knocking and us answering the door.”
The site links women to various designers and brands that carry plus-size clothing and accessories. They also have a column by spokesperson/model Christine Alt, industry news and a way for women to interact with advice and comments.
“What we’ve created is so necessary because there hasn’t been a site that women can go to solve the frustrations plus- size consumers experience,” says Recker. “This site will empower them to make better choices and offer them more choices.”
