Popular local clothing rental company Ponybox is closing

Why it matters: Ponybox launched in the fall of 2020 as a sustainable solution to fast fashion. In February of this year, owner and founder Hellen Moffitt expanded her business to include a thrifting and consignment component.

• Yes, but: Moffit says that she hasn’t been able to grow Ponybox enough for it to be sustainable.

“It’s just gotten to the point where we were trying to run two businesses at once and we weren’t really doing either of them as well as we could have been,” Moffitt said on Instagram. 

[Go deeper: Thrift and sell your clothes at Ponybox in Plaza Midwood]

Details: Ponybox will close effective immediately.

• Thrift Pony will expand to the entire store at 1110 Morningside Dr.
• If you’ve already made a rental order for a future date, Ponybox will honor those orders.
• And if you rent your own clothes through the rental company, they will reach out to you about returning your items back to you.

Zoom out: Ponybox has become more than just a clothing rental service. Moffit has created a community — and a pretty loyal one at that — of local women who love fashion and want to express themselves in a sustainable way.

• In addition to her two businesses, Moffitt often hosts sold-out events through the Ponybox brand, including a murder mystery night and most recently a garden party at Rosie’s Wine Garden. 

• She also regularly holds monthly parking lot sales featuring other local businesses.

What’s next: Thrift Pony will triple in size from 500 square feet to about 1,500 square feet. “We have a lot of stuff in backstock that we’ll be able to put out,” Moffitt tells Axios. “So if people want to bring in clothes, especially men’s stuff, we’re expanding so we’ll need more inventory to fill the store.” 

• Plus, Moffitt will continue to host and plan events. 

Emma Way, Axios’ editorial product associate director, serves as an unpaid advisor to Ponybox. Emma’s role has no impact on our editorial decisions.