‘No one will feel left out.’ Macon clothing store wants any size to feel like royalty

As Shun Quainter rode up to The Palace on opening day, he prayed that God would let his business be successful.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a crowd of people waiting to get in his store, he said.

“God blew my mind. The whole thing of The Palace was, it was just something that I wanted to just jump out on faith,” he said. “I always try to tell young people and push young people when you have a dream, go for it.”

Quainter opened The Palace on Feb. 6 around a month after he, 25, received the keys to the building, and he said a security guard claimed it was one of the largest grand openings they have had at The Shoppes at River Crossing.

The Palace holds sizes from small to 4XL, and having the larger sizes was important to Quainter because plus size women have a hard time finding places to shop, he said.

“The palace is an experience. It’s somewhere that everyone is welcome to,” he said. “I wanted to make it somewhere that everyone could shop at. No one will feel left out when you walk in.”

Merchandise in the store comes from 17 Middle Georgia Black vendors, and Quainter plans to expand to have multiple shops, he said. The Macon location is next door to the new Macon Water Ice.

About Quainter

When Quainter graduated from Howard High School in 2014, he joined the National Guard and has been on orders for the past six years.

He is currently a sergeant working as a human resource specialist out of Atlanta for the Guard.

Dressing nice has always been a passion of his, and he said his uncle Pastor Bryant Wardell Raines, of New Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, and his father influenced his style and inspired him to join the military, he said. Raines passed away Feb. 24 after battling the COVID-19 virus.

“I wanted to share my style and also share my ideals with the world,” he said.

‘A palace is a home’

Quainter created the idea of opening a store while he was driving home one night, and although it was challenging opening the store, he said he had faith it would be a success.

“As I was creating the store and getting ready to open I was just, there were times I wanted to give up, but I didn’t give up,” he said. “We have been very successful since we opened, we have had no complaints.”

He tells his 12 employees to greet customers and get to know them because he wants people to feel relaxed in The Palace, he said. Also, if someone purchases an item, he said his employees will walk the customers to the door to give them their bag.

People love the smell and the decorations in the store, he said, and he designed the store to feel like home.

“What is a palace? A palace is a home, and I want people to feel welcomed,” he said.