Plus sizes, small prices

At Carmen’s Women’s Plus only the prices are small.

The consignment store opened about two weeks ago in Perry Avenue Mall. It offers all types of clothing from formal to casual at reasonable prices.

“You’ll find a little of everything,” said Carmen Garcia, the store’s owner.

And a lot of the clothing is hers. Some of it is new. There’s name-brand business suits, washable silk, leather skirts and jackets to chose from. Sizes of the clothes range in size from 12 to 7X.

Garcia is still working to stock her store which current lacks selection in the largest sizes. Summer apparel is in short supply as well.

“I have to go out and hunt for it,” she said.

Garcia, a plus-sized woman herself, understands how hard it is to find larger sizes. Her weight has fluctuated from size 8 to the larger sizes.

“You’ve got to go everywhere. You’ve got to shop around. Here we have a little bit of everything in one spot,” Garcia said.

The consignment store offers a 50-50 split and will display items up to three months. Designer suits, for example, sell for about $25. Carmen’s Women’s Plus also sells shoes, costume jewelry, purses and other accessories.

Garcia, a San Diego native, moved here a few months ago with her children and her husband who is in the Navy. she had planned to join her San Diego friend who opened a consignment shop there.

She lives in Port Orchard, but decided to locate her shop in Bremerton because the city is changing so rapidly.

“I’m going through a lot of changes myself,” she said with a smile.

She wants her customers to “feel they can come and shop with their dollars and come out with something their happy with.”

Items brought in for possible sale shouldn’t have any tears, stains or no missing buttons.

“It should be presentable enough for other people to be proud to wear,” she said.

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