Located in Long Beach, California, Club Bounce is a nightclub for plus-size men and women. Or, as Bounce puts it, for "BBW (big beautiful women), BHM (big handsome men) and those who admire us". Fat or skinny, everyone is welcome, but its nightly revellers are definitely of a larger size than those beyond the velvet rope at, say, New York's Boom Boom Room.
We're surprised we haven't spotted it sooner, since Club Bounce has been around since 2004. It was founded by Lisa Marie Garbo, who's something of a spokesperson for full-figured people. The idea for the club grew out of her own desire to be able to go out and enjoy herself without feeling unwelcome or discriminated against. Garbo recently opened a second club in Phoenix, Arizona, and is looking to add a third. Club nights for BBWs are also organized in some other cities. While some organizations are worried that venues catering to fat people will prevent them from changing unhealthy lifestyles, size activists protest the notion that bigger is necessarily less healthy. And one could argue that a fat person dancing the night away is engaging in a healthier activity than a thinner person at home on the couch ;-)
It's no secret that entrepreneurs find lucrative opportunities by catering to niche audiences, and those gaps in the market are often found by creating a product or service that fulfills a personal need. One to replicate in other size-ist parts of the world? (Related: Baby loves disco, and so does mommy — Weeknight clubbing for the 9–5 crowd.)
Website: www.clubbounce.net
Contact: bbwclubbounce@aol.com
