Night club for the big, beautiful people....

PHOENIX -- When she's selecting a nightclub to host her event, Club Bounce, nightlife promoter Lisa Marie Garbo always checks the barstools first.

Then, it's the bathrooms.

When running a night that targets plus-size patrons, size matters.

Today, she'll see if her diligence pays off as she brings Club Bounce to central Phoenix for a weekly dance night for the overweight.

"The whole concept of walking into a nightclub and not being judged for your size is novel," said Garbo, 40, who also hosts Club Bounce in Long Beach, Calif. "(Here) you're accepted, you're desired and you're wanted because of your size."

One other plus-size promotional night has found success in the Valley previously. Since 2004, Mesa-based nightlife promoter ChristyLee has run the "thick and sexy" Club FullFilled each month at Valley bars. She averages 150 guests each time.

"This is an audience that is starved for quality and recognition. And they vote with their wallet," said Kat Fay, a senior analyst with market-research group Mintel International. "This is a group incredibly discriminated against in terms of choice."

The nights bring new business and offer guests something they feel they can't get anywhere else - an accepting environment.

"You don't want people looking at you strangely," said Club FullFilled regular Katielynn Chaurette, 35, of Surprise. "And when you go out, you want the men there to be interested in you, not just the 110-pound girl sitting next to you."

The opportunity


About 66 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but only a handful of nights across the country are promoted as being "size-positive."

Garbo targeted the Valley because she says the overweight here feel alienated because of the area's reputation for fitness.

It works the same way in Long Beach, where for five years, Club Bounce has drawn at-capacity crowds of 400.

In Long Beach, about 61 percent of the population is overweight. In Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale, 63 percent of the population is overweight, according to the CDC.

Fay said that because so few target the plus-size community, doing so is smart marketing. "There is money to be made hand over fist with this market. Based on . . . this country's eating habits, if (marketers) don't get on the stick, they're going to be missing out."

There are signs that show a growing acceptance of overweight people.

The Fox network is casting for a new reality dating show, "More to Love," with overweight contestants.

A study compared responses with a survey statement in 1985 and 2008 that said, "People who are not overweight look a lot more attractive." In 1985, 55 percent of those surveyed completely agreed with the statement. In 2008, 25 percent said they completely agreed.

The study, the Annual Report on Eating Patterns in America, was done by the NPD Group, a market-research firm.

The challenge


But experts say reaching the overweight is hard.

"It's never going to be OK to be fat," said Linda Arroz, 54, a former plus-size model. She said that even with a plus-size-positive space, getting the overweight to show up is a challenge.

"So many people in the demographic just lack basic self-esteem," said Arroz, now a principal at a Los Angeles think tank.

That's compounded by the fact that so many overweight people say they've had negative experiences at mainstream clubs, according to ChristyLee.

However experts note that the overweight are often more accepted at neighborhood bars, as well as at clubs targeting Hispanics and Blacks.

Peggy Howell, public-relations director for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, said that although size discrimination is prevalent, the overweight will support any venue where they feel welcome.

"Just because we're fat doesn't mean we don't like to dance and have fun," Howell said in an e-mail.

The nights


Club Vibe, usually a lesbian bar, will host Club Bounce on Thursdays, and Garbo will charge a cover of $10 to $15.

She will not, however, ask anyone's weight, because she welcomes all sizes.

She considered six Valley bars but chose Club Vibe because of the free parking, location and because she says the space has comfortable chairs, ample restroom size and a big dance floor.

California's Club Bounce and Club FullFilled both draw more plus-size women than plus-size men and attract an ethnically diverse crowd.

Mike Cooper, 32, of Long Beach, goes to Club Bounce and blogs about it on the club's group message board. As a regular for a year, he met his girlfriend there and hosted his birthday party there.

"I would not be considered one of the big guys there, but I do have a liking for women who have a little meat on their bones," he said.

When he initially tried to get his friends to go with him, they mocked him for going to a "big-girl club."

"Now I convert everybody that I know," he said. "I think ... every city is going to have clubs like this."



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