A line wrapped around the block of the Hollywood Theater on Saturday morning for the second-ever Fat Flea, a flea market focused on body positivity by offering clothing in sizes XL to 6XL.
Minneapolis fashion designers Maxine Britt and Dawn Otwell decided to establish the fat-centric market after realizing the struggle of many fashion-forward customers who were unable to find pieces in their size.
Britt, a 25-year-old University of Minnesota alumni, grew up designing clothes for their Barbies before pursuing a career in fashion. They signed a studio lease with Otwell two days after meeting each other last August and have been designing together since.
A year later, they hosted the first Fat Flea.
Growing up in a small northern Michigan town, 42-year-old Otwell grew tired of the clothing options available in her size at her local Kmart. She started shopping in the women’s section at a young age and found many of the options in her size to lack her punk style.
“I started making my own stuff when I was pretty young, but it was very pieced together,” Otwell said. “And thankfully, safety pins were pretty cool.”
Immediately after the success of their first event in August, Otwell and Britt knew they wanted to host another as soon as possible but on a bigger scale.
“There were so many people who just were, like, so excited to be in a space where you see so many plus-size people together, where you can feel included and feel respected,” Britt said.
The two focused on providing a safe space where people of all sizes could shop and find a wide range of products. They said they wanted the vendors to reflect the message of the event, prioritizing plus-size vendors.
Ruth Baccam, an artist and designer featured at the event, said the market encouraged a level of connection between artist and customer that the digital space lacks. Instead of interacting through a screen, Baccam was able to watch people connect with the art.
Another vendor in a nearby booth, 41-year-old Jenny Behrens, agreed with Baccam and said it was amazing to be in the space and meet customers with similar bodies.
“Being in a bigger body, size inclusivity is really important to me,” Behrens said. Her jewelry company, Nashipai, offered bold statement pieces with size adaptors and the ability to order custom measurements to ensure the perfect fit.
The market offered many other trinkets and art for visitors. On the stage, a booth for tarot card readings was next to another offering five-minute portraits, which sat next to a psychic crystal ball reader. Other booths offered stained glass artwork, leatherwork, tooth gems and a small pop-up bookstore.
Beck Gilbert greeted passing customers from behind the booth for their shop Beck’s Books, the table lined with books by people of color and LBGTQ+ authors as well as stickers and pins.
“It means so much to see people who you don’t really see in this space,” Gilbert said. The 30-year-old business owner said it was amazing to see so many queer-owned businesses at the event as well.
Mother and daughter Tess and Audrey DeGeest decided to visit the event together after Audrey DeGeest saw one of the event’s posts on Instagram. She said she had not seen anything like the event before.
“It’s nice to not feel shamed and instead celebrated,” 56-year-old Tess Degreest said.
Celebration was at the core of the event, as Otwell and Britt agreed they wanted the space to be a place for celebrating one another instead of worrying about what someone might be thinking.
“You are you. You are not fat. You are not skinny,” Britt said. “It’s like, that doesn’t define you. They’re descriptors, and they’re not bad or good. They just are.”
In the future, Britt and Otwell have agreed they want to host smaller events in addition to their two markets for the community to continue to grow in between events, like hosting movie nights or fancy dinner parties.
“You don’t have to be fat to share in fat joy,” Otwell said. “And I think that is going to be a big aspect of, like, the events in general, is that everybody is welcome.”