Try before you buy: Ponybox goes brick-and-mortar

What’s happening: The Charlotte-based clothing rental company offering same-day delivery now offers local pick-up at their studio.

• Up until now, owner Hellen Moffitt ran the business out of her home— as her business grew, she ran out of room.

Why it matters: Now Ponybox is available to everyone, not just those who live within its immediate delivery vicinity.

How the studio works: Schedule an appointment up to a week in advance for pickup or same-day pickup through Ponybox’s website. You’ll also schedule appointments through the website to try on clothes before renting them.

• After you try them on at the studio, you can rent items immediately or schedule a pickup or delivery rental.

Details: The studio is located at 1110 Morningside Dr. Suite A. Showroom hours are Wednesday through Friday from 3-7pm. You must schedule an appointment for Saturday through Tuesday.

How the clothing delivery side works: Ponybox customers build their box from the online store, and then it’s delivered to them.

• You have the option to buy anything you want from your order. Just keep it, and Ponybox will charge you the difference.
• Ponybox offers new and secondhand items. The latter you’ll find in their neighborhood collection, which currently features clothes inspired by NoDa, Plaza Midwood and Dilworth.

Backstory: Moffitt created Ponybox, because fashion frustrated her. Plus she always wanted to start her own business, and now it’s her full-time job.

• “My overall goal is to make it easy, affordable, and accessible to everyone,” Moffitt told me in April shortly after she left her full-time job as a manager of strategy & analytics at E15 Group to focus on Ponybox.

• She also became an NC IDEA MICRO grant recipient in April, receiving $10,000.

What’s next: Moffitt hopes to expand to Raleigh within the next year and eventually branch out to other mid-size cities. She’s also considering expanding into men’s clothing, depending on the demand.

Go deeper: Meet the clothing rental startup changing Charlotte’s fashion scene

Editor’s note: This story was updated on June 23, 2022 to reflect new showroom hours.