The Full Story
Pony & Post
The Ask:
Design a new retail brand that challenges category leaders, focusing on brand positioning, identity, and experience.
My Work:
Brand Strategy & Positioning, Identity & Visual Design, Customer Experience Design
Team:
Me (One-Person Team) – Did everything from strategy to design to execution. All the hats, all the coffee, all the magic.
The "Loneliness Epidemic" is a defining issue of our time, with 80% of Gen Z feeling lonely. This isn't just a social problem; it's a market signal.
Simultaneously, the USPS is in crisis. My challenge was to design a brand that could address both:
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Solve for the growing need for real-world connection.
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Create a sustainable, profitable business model to revitalize a struggling institution.
I designed Pony & Post, a vibrant community hub that blends the functionality of a post office with the high-margin, community-building engine of a coffee shop, stationery store, and event space.
It's a direct response to market trends, tapping into the 23% growth in niche, local "micro-events" and creating a "third space" where people can connect, create, and feel a sense of belonging.
Pony & Post is designed as a "Hybrid Public-Private Partnership," a model formally suggested to save the postal service.
The business model is built on the "halo effect" of hybrid retail:
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High-Margin Revenue: High-margin items (like coffee with a 70-80% profit margin) subsidize the lower-margin postal services.
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Increased Dwell Time: By creating a welcoming space, we increase "dwell time." The longer a customer stays, the more they spend.
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Proven Growth: Hybrid retail models are proven to drive 6-10% higher revenue growth than traditional stores.
AI-assisted, human-directed. Made with Adobe Firefly.
Symbolism
The brand draws inspiration from the Pony Express, symbolizing strength, grace, and reliability—qualities that resonate with the mission of bringing people closer.
Aesthetic
The design evokes timeless elegance, inspired by leather’s warmth and ageless beauty. Soft warm metals, parchment textures, and light marble create an inviting atmosphere that is refined yet approachable.
The entire space is designed to foster connection, creativity, and conversation:
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The Coffee Shop: Acts as the central hub for conversation and community.
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The Stationery Store: Invites customers to slow down, write letters, and engage in creative pursuits.
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The Event Space: Hosts workshops (calligraphy, etc.) to tap into the 23% growth of micro-events.
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The Post Office: Remains the functional core, but is now integrated into a space people want to be in, not one they have to be in.
Firefly AI made it, but only because I told it to.
The Inspiration
Pony & Post is the love child of two of the most incredible businesses I’ve ever encountered.
The first is Kindred Post in Juneau, Alaska. Visiting Kindred Post completely redefined how I think about spaces we often accept as “just the way they are.” They’ve stripped the post office down to its essence—connection—and built an experience around that feeling. It’s still a functioning post office, but it’s so much more than that.
Kindred Post inspired me to dig deeper into what a space is really trying to accomplish and then expand that into an experience that not only serves its purpose but also adds something greater. I wanted to channel that mindset into a new arena.
The second inspiration is Waldo’s, a beloved hangout I discovered in 2016 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (hometown mention).
When my friends and I were teenagers, we needed a place to hang out away from our parents’ watchful eyes, practice independence, and not break the bank. Waldo’s was that place.
I’m not sure what I loved most about Waldo’s: the couches that completely swallowed you up, the drinks that were incredibly good (and let you pay what you could), or the music that made me feel like I’d unlocked the secrets of the universe at 17. But honestly, it was the way Waldo’s made us feel. We could play games, talk about our lives, and doodle on the already-covered coffee table, all while feeling completely at home. That sense of being yourself in a shared space stuck with me, and it’s exactly what I want Pony & Post to evoke.