Meet Lisa Michaud, owner of Two Big Blondes Plus Size Consignment in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood. Two Big Blondes is the only consignment store in the region that specializes in plus-size women’s clothing, and Lisa has been running the shop since 2013. Although she is a brunette, Lisa thought the name was too fun to change when she took the store over from the previous owners. For Lisa, Two Big Blondes is more than a store — it’s a welcoming place for all, especially those who struggle finding clothes they like in their size.
Get to know more about Lisa and Two Big Blondes in this week’s Business Spotlight Q&A.
The interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
I wasn’t the original owner of Two Big Blondes, but I have owned it for 8 years now. I actually grew up in the Central District, so being in this community is important to me. While it’s a changing neighborhood to be sure, it’s great to see old friends I went to school with as well as people that have lived in the neighborhood for years. Even if they’ve moved away, they come back and visit us, so it’s all part of our community, and that means a lot to me.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in and why?
It feels like home. Whether people have moved away or they’re coming back to visit, or they’ve been here all along, or there’s new people coming in — it just feels like a real close-knit community. It just feels like home and family.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters?
Small business owners are neighbors and in our community just like everyone else. For the dollars that you spend at a local small business, more of that money goes back into the community in which they live. So that circular economy is much stronger when you support local, small businesses. The money that we make [as business owners], we go next door and support the next business. It’s just this web and fabric of support that is felt and impacted immediately.
