Mother-daughter duo opens Utah County’s first thrift shop for plus-sized women | News, Sports, Jobs

Courtesy Curveture

Speaking from her own experiences, Taudine Andrew says shopping as a plus-sized woman more often than not is discouraging.

Venturing into a department store or major retail chain in hopes of finding clothing items that fit a consumer’s style and budget — but nothing else — can lead to a disappointing shopping experience.

Inspired by her struggles to find clothes she actually liked rather than ones that just fit, Andrew decided to team up with her daughter, Lily Sanders, to fill a gap in the Utah fashion space.

That’s where the idea for Curveture was sparked.

Branded as Utah County’s first exclusively plus-size thrift shop, Curveture taps into the community’s strong thrifting culture with a sense of what’s hot in women’s fashion.

Courtesy Curveture

“My goal was to create the kind of store that I would want to shop in myself — affordable, beautiful, pleasant and offering lots of choices, all with a conscience,” said Andrew, CEO and co-founder of Curveture.

She had always been an entrepreneur and wanted to explore a business partnership with her daughter. With a recent move back to Utah after living out of state for a time, the timing seemed right.

“Lily and I had been talking for a number of years about having a business of some sort together, but we just didn’t have the opportunity not living in the same state to really make that happen,” Andrew explained.

Curveture’s inventory includes new, used, vintage and specialty clothing in sizes ranging from XL to 7XL. The shop also sells shoes, accessories, handbags and jewelry, a press release said.

“We go through and try to pick things that we think we would like to wear that people around us would be interested in wearing,” said Sanders, the store’s chief marketing officer. “(We) try to keep it fairly trendy but also keep a really good selection of styles.”

Courtesy Curveture

They currently have over 5,000 pieces of inventory on hand, sourcing items both locally and out of state.

Selection is important to Andrew, as she says in many cases during a shopping trip inclusive sizes are limited — an issue Curveture aims to solve.

“Having a selection that can represent really any woman who is a plus-size woman, so you can come in and find anything that reflects your personal style,” Andrew said.

Curvature also aims to be considerate of potential customers’ financial status.

“Unlike other local or online size-inclusive boutiques, Curveture keeps its prices affordable with an inventory of resold clothing, with prices ranging from $1 to $25,” the release noted.

Andrew said with the threat of a looming recession, many consumers may turn to thrifting for essential items.

“When the economy is good, people shop in these kinds of places for fun, for the enjoyment of it, for the treasure hunt. And when the economy is bad, people shop in these kinds of places out of necessity,” she said.

Sanders, who has been a Utah County resident for the past seven years, said one of the reasons they chose Provo for their first location is to make affordable shopping easily accessible for college-aged shoppers who attend nearby Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University.

“With the student population, and just the large population in the area, we knew we wanted to keep it close to Provo,” Sanders said.

Despite the popularity of online shopping, their brick-and-mortar location allows customers the luxury of trying clothing on in person before purchasing, allowing them to avoid the hassle of online clothing returns.

Data reveals the average size for women’s clothing is a 16. For that reason, Sanders believes the store will be a hit among women across multiple generations.

Inside the store, Curveture is transforming the shopping experience for curvy women with a clean, inviting environment with unique pops of color and artwork to help give customers an uplifting resale experience.

“We did not want this to feel like a yard sale or dingy, dismal experience,” said Andrew, who stressed the importance of making women feel valued, included and comfortable while they’re in the store.

Curveture, located at 1394 N. Freedom Blvd. in Provo, is hosting a grand-opening celebration from 5-8 p.m. Saturday.

Regular business hours can be found online at shopcurveture.com or their social media platforms.