The Plus Bus, a plus-size fashion boutique that operated out of a brick-and-mortar storefront on York Boulevard for nearly a decade, has transitioned into a fully mobile boutique. Owner Marcy Guevara-Prete said the shift fulfills an idea that existed long before the business had a permanent location. Now, according to Guevara-Prete, the store is finally living up to its name.
“It was always confusing,” Guevara-Prete said. “People would ask, ‘Where is The Plus Bus parked?’ and I’d have to say, ‘It’s brick-and-mortar.’”
According to The Plus Bus‘ website, the boutique serves customers sizes 12 and up and offers a curated mix of fast fashion, vintage and new-with-tags clothing. The website said the business also positions itself as a community-oriented space centered on inclusion, sustainability and body acceptance.
According to Guevara-Prete, she and co-founder Jen Wilder came up with The Plus Bus in 2015 when they were both hosting clothing swaps and realized how much unused clothing was circulating within the plus-size community.
“[Wilder] said, ‘I’ve always dreamed of having a mobile boutique,’” Guevara-Prete said. “I said, ‘Oh my god — like a plus bus.’ And that was it.”
Despite early enthusiasm, Guevara-Prete said the mobile concept was not immediately feasible. Instead, The Plus Bus opened as a brick-and-mortar boutique in 2016, and eventually moved to York Boulevard, a long-held dream location according to Guevara-Prete.
According to Guevara-Prete, the move to York Boulevard was only possible for a small business like The Plus Bus because of federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans made available during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic devastated many small businesses, Guevara-Prete said it also created rare opportunities.
“As much as it was horrible for our country, on a small business level it really was a game changer at the time,” Guevara-Prete said.
According to Guevara-Prete, York Boulevard became home not only to her store, but also to a tightly connected network of small businesses. She said leaving the space was difficult, and that it was important to her for the storefront to remain a retail space rather than being converted into offices or storage.
“It took a lot of guts to own up to the reality that it was time to move on,” Guevara-Prete said.
The opportunity to adopt a mobile model came unexpectedly, according to Guevara-Prete, when a friend sent her a listing for a boutique bus. According to the business’s website, The Plus Bus purchased the vehicle in 2022.
Guevara-Prete said acquiring the bus shifted the direction of the business and introduced new logistical challenges, including staffing, insurance and transportation.
“Having a mobile boutique is a whole business of its own,” Guevara-Prete said. “I don’t know that we were fully prepared for what it would take.”
The shift to a mobile model, Guevara-Prete said, also reflects broader economic pressures facing small businesses in Los Angeles.
“This is a story about the rising rate of rent,” Guevara-Prete said. “Small business owners were squeezed. We’re all struggling. We’re all figuring out how we can do it.”
After several years of adjustments, Guevara-Prete said the bus is now fully operational. According to Guevara-Prete, The Plus Bus parks outside Perfect 10+, a boutique she recently opened in Atwater Village, every Sunday, and appears monthly at the York Boulevard Second Saturday Art Walk.
The transition has been visible to longtime customers and staff. Brittany Everett, who works with the business, said she first discovered The Plus Bus years ago while walking through Highland Park.
“They said, ‘Yeah, we’re all plus size,’ and it was like I walked into heaven,” Everett said.
Everett, who now works for the store, said she was initially a customer before becoming more involved through online sales and events. Everett said the mobile bus helps connect longtime Plus Bus customers with the new Perfect 10+ location.
“People see the bus, shop the bus and then come inside,” Everett said. “A lot of customers from The Plus Bus are coming to Perfect 10+.”
According to customer Dana Tunier, the store has long represented more than retail. Tunier said she encountered The Plus Bus before it had a permanent storefront, when clothing racks were set up in temporary spaces.
“You can count on one hand any plus-size store anywhere in LA,” Tunier said. “So any place where you can walk in and try on everything, that’s immediate validation.”
According to Tunier, the York Boulevard location functioned as an affirming social space, particularly for queer and plus-size communities.
“It was a body-celebration space,” Tunier said. “Everyone was hyping each other up.”
Tunier said she became more involved during last year’s fires, when Guevara-Prete organized a donation drive focused on plus-size clothing and essentials.
“Plus-size stuff in an emergency, it’s not readily available,” Tunier said. “That’s when I realized this is actually a community.”
Guevara-Prete said the mobile format allows The Plus Bus to maintain its relationship with Occidental and the surrounding Highland Park community. Guevara-Prete said the bus has visited campus events in the past and will continue to do so.
“We love being in this college town,” Guevara-Prete said. “Now that I’ve finally found someone who can drive it and style people and sell, we can bring the bus to Oxy anytime.”
Now that the bus is back on the road, Guevara-Prete said the business has come full circle.
“I feel like the dream is all kind of coming together,” Guevara-Prete said. “It’s a very exciting time.”
Contact Lily Snyder at lsnyder@oxy.edu
