Today on TCF, weโre sharing all things about The Plus Bus, recent sponsors of the TCFStyle Brunch and the brand founded by fearless fat babes, Marcy & Jen (or Jen & Marcy) in 2016. Saying that The Plus Bus is a โplus size storeโ is kind of like saying โDisneyland has some fun ridesโ โ it just doesnโt do The Plus Bus justice!
Iโm honored (real talk!) to share the backstory and evolution of The Plus Bus, through this interview with founders, Jen and Marcy. Whether youโve been a long time stan (and fan!) of The Plus Bus IRL in-store or during live sales, or youโre just learning about this pillar of the plus size and fat community โ Welcome!!
Letโs talk all things PLUS BUS!

All About The Plus Bus
Ok, bestie! Because Jen & Marcy are empire building babes, this interview is gonna be in-depth. (Real talk, can we get a Plus Bus memoir?! Or biopic?!) Because Iโm diving in deep with Marcy and Jen, I want to give you a sort of table of contents. That way, you can find what youโre looking for, or better yet, know where weโre going on this wonderful ride!

Hereโs where weโre going:
- Jen & Marcy MEET: How the brand came to be!
- The Focus on the Fat Community: How clothes are just ONE part of the companyโs mission
- Plus Bus 3 Locations: A primer on where to go to shop for WHAT
- Community Events: Beach parties, pool parties, Lizzo concerts, etc
- Connecting with The Plus Bus
You ready? Letโs rockโn roll!!!

Jen & Marcy MEET: How The Plus Bus Came to Be!
Ok, so! As a plus size blogger/model/consultant/weirdo, I have long wondered, โHow did The Plus Bus HAPPEN?!โ
I visited the flagship location pre-pandemic, and there was just SO MUCH happening. Color! Clothing! Community! Cute fun sunglasses!!!!! Looking at this magical wonderland that is The Plus Bus, I was honestly like, โHow tf did we get here!?!?!โ

So, when I got on the phone with Marcy and Jen, that was one of the first things I asked.
And their story did NOT disappoint!
Shares Jen: โI walked up to Marcy at Full Figured Fashion Week in 2012, and I was like, โOh my god youโreย a โBig Girl in a Skinny Worldโ for Marie Claire!ย Come be my friend!!โ Jen says with a laugh. โI didnโt have any fat friends or fat liberation, so meeting all those people was wonderful. I was kind of overstimulated, and it was a whirlwind. We ended up becoming Facebook friends and talking on there.โ

From there, this dynamic duo found themselves going to London together!
โThere was an event in London that we both wanted to go to,โ shares Marcy.ย โWe love going to plus size fashion events. As we were walking towards each other in the airport, I thought, โI have never spent more than 5 minutes in real life with this person. This could be a bad idea.'โ

Fortuitously, their international trip was a smashing success. โWe were together constantly for 3 days,โ shares Marcy. โFrom that minute of meeting in the airport, we started giggling and never stopped.โ
From that minute of meeting in the airport, we started giggling and never stopped.
Marcy Guevara-Preteย , Co-Founder
(This theme of โJumping in with both feetโ is very much the ethos of this business, as youโll see throughout this interview!)

From that event in 2013, Marcy and Jen then went onto host plus size clothing swaps in Los Angeles, inspired by events happening in San Diego. โJen posted that she needed to stop buying clothes,โ shares Marcy.ย โSo we decided, โLetโs do a fat swap!โ I had been to a swap in San Diego hosted by Ashley Nell Tipton, and it was so successful. We felt like there was a community and hunger for community in LA.โ
Those initial clothing swaps led to Jen and Marcy opening up their flagship location in 2016. The iconic pink warehouse became their first location!

โThe Plus Bus isย a ONE STOP SHOP for all things plus size fashion,โ shares Jen.ย
โWe have a bunch of options for those events, bachelorette parties or a custom dress designed by Jen,โ adds Marcy.
โWe are the best place to live your best plus size life.โ
Jen Wilder, Co-Founder of The Plus Bus

The Focus on the Fat Community: How clothes are just ONE part of The Plus Bus mission
Talking to Jen & Marcy, they really made clear that while they LOVE and ADORE clothing (Jen is a plus size fashion designer, and Marcy is a professional producer and fashion stylist), the mission of The Plus Bus goes beyond clothes.
โThe clothes are a disguise for the FAT activism,โ shares Jen.ย โSo often when new people come to the store, thereโs a lot going on in their minds. They wonโt show their arms, they wonโt take pictures with their kids, etc. We want to be your tour guide to your fabulous fat life.โ
We want to be your tour guide to your fabulous fat life.
Jen Wilder, Co-Founder of The Plus Bus

โWeโre healing the trauma of plus size shopping,โ explains Jen. โBeing around people that come from the same kind of experience youโve had, who know how challenging shopping can be. The Plus Bus is really a space of celebration and healing.โ
Plus Bus 3 Locations: A primer on where to go to shop for WHAT
As part of their overarching activism and mission, The Plus Bus has created intentional spaces for every type of plus size and fat customer.
Their three locations are:
- The Plus Bus Flagship: 5031 York Blvd. LA, CA 90042
- Community by TBP: 2701 W Ave 34, LA, CA, 90065
- The Plus Bus (a literal bus!!): Travels all over!

Thrift, Vintage & New
Marcy & Jen were kind of, no, REALLY brilliant when it came to planning their two brick and mortar spaces, and their actual literal BUS.
โThe Plus Bus on York was designed to elevate the plus size shopping experience,โ shares Marcy. โExcellent vintage and really excellent thrift pieces. For people who want more of that thrift โsort through binsโ experience for treasure hunters, theyโll love the location on Park.โ
Below, we dive into what can be found at each location!
The Plus Bus Boutique [York Location]
The Plus Bus on York is a boutique! Itโs a combination of new items from plus size indie brands (BAACAL, What Lo Wants, URTUMUCH, etc), as well as vintage and high quality resale or thrift items (โVintage clothingโ has to be at least 40 years old to qualify as โvintage,โ hence the differentiation between โvintageโ and โthriftโ here.)

โThe York Boutique is โBuy Now / Wear Now!'โ exclaims Marcy. โOur goal is to elevate the experience at York to include personal styling.ย You can go online and do virtual styling, personal styling requests, event requests (for example, if youโre going to be a bridesmaid or have another specific event).ย We have some of the best plus size models and stylists that work here in the store, youโre styled by a pro who has been in the industry for years.โ
We have some of the best plus size models and stylists that work here in the store, youโre styled by a pro who has been in the industry for years.
Marcy Guevara-Preteย , Co-Founder of The Plus Bus
Plus size babes can also find in-store community events for new and established plus size indie brands, finding luxury or higher end pieces for their wardrobe.

Community by TPB
Ok, this location is for our babes who are hardcore thrifters! Honestly, before going to The Plus Bus, I hadnโt really had the experience of going to a thrift store and finding something in my size!
โAt the Park location, we have more off-season items that are a little more gently worn,โ explains Jen. โSome pieces might have a damage or two. This is where you find treasures, and some may need a zipper fix!โ

This location also offers โcolor packsโ which I thought were cool! โWe have $5, $15, $20 color packs here as well,โ shares Marcy.
This location was really driven by Marcy & Jenโs desire to serve the plus and fat community. โThereโs no way we could sell all the clothes we get at just York location,โ shares Jen. โThis location means we can offer clothing at a variety of price points, and really aim to serve everyone. Weโre trying to make fashion accessible.ย Doesnโt matter your size or your budget.ย You donโt have to dress by the rules, and The Plus Bus is showing that every body can be aspirational,โ says Jen.

The Plus Bus (Actual Bus!!)
Finally, the last โlocationโ is actually on wheels! โThis is a 250 sq ft boutique,โ shares Marcy. โWe use it to host events and pop ups all over in Southern California!โ

The Plus Bus (Online)
As not everyone is in the LA-area, the team at The Plus Bus shares daily finds to their Instagram Story, a combination of new, thrift and vintage pieces! Itโs like QVC or HSN, but make it fat!

The Plus Blus also does regular โInstagram Livesโ selling pieces live!
You can also set up a personal or in-person styling appointment (sounds like such a fun experience!!), details on plus size personal styling in LA and virtual, here!
Note: Gender Inclusion
Something that Marcy and Jen made sure to communicate at the beginning of the interview was that The Plus Bus is for folks of all genders. No one is going to police who can try on what at The Plus Bus!

Community Events: Beach parties, pool parties, Lizzo concerts, Disneyland, etc
As Marcy & Jen have shared, The Plus Bus celebrates fashion โ but is so much more!

โWe have a monthly fat hiking club, fat yoga on Thursdays and so many community events,โ shares Marcy. โWe love our plus size beach days, and Jen is always trying to get people to wear smaller and smaller bikinis,โ she explains with a laugh.
Marcy & Jen love when an event is community-led, and community members often use The Plus Bus as a sort of nexus for events they want to see happen. โWeโve also organized two different groups around LIZZO concerts,โ shares Jen.

The Plus Bus loves LIZZO, and they have had wardrobe sales from items from Lizzoโs closet!
To see all of the details on The Plus Bus events, head here!

If youโre a bit afraid to go shopping for yourself or show up to a community event, both Marcy & Jen had encouraging words to share (and a few happy tears):
- From Marcy: โNever be scared to show up to a fat event. Youโre going to find a whole community.ย Itโs a great place to meet people, especially if youโre in LA.ย Meet other like minded individuals who want to go out and have fun.โ
- From Jen: โDonโt be afraid to come alone, 50 fat friends are excited to meet you!ย I know that finding a fat peer community is the most healing part of fat liberation.ย Being with people who look like you.ย Iโm crying I feel so lucky to have so much of it in my life, and I have created a world, and Iโve created. Show up alone, and show up open.ย See what happens! at community has has literally changed my life, and my childrenโs lives.โ
Connecting with The Plus Bus

There area few ways to connect with The Plus Bus! For IRL events, Iโd keep an eye on their events page, and for shopping and fun Iโd follow on Instagram!
Shop the latest in plus size fashion in LA at ThePlusBus.com!
Finally, of course, The Plus Bus invites you to bring in YOUR clothing! โYou can bring your gently worn clothes for store credit,โ shares Marcy. โMake an appointment via email!โ
Thank you so much to Jen & Marcy for this interview!!! We love The Plus Bus! You can follow Jen on Instagram here, and Marcy on Instagram here!
Thank you for sharing our story so beautifully!!!