Emily Hawver inside Show Pony Vintage’s store near the University of Denver. (Courtesy Show Pony Vintage)
Olive oil is out, vintage is in.
Show Pony Vintage is moving into 2,000 square feet at 1338 15th St., previously home to EVOO Marketplace for 15 years.
Emily Hawver opened the vintage shop’s first location two years ago near the University of Denver at 2025 S. University Blvd. That location sells vintage and secondhand items such as clothes and jewelry from 21 vendors.
“I just always knew I would have a second,” Hawver said. “I wasn’t necessarily focused on it, but I knew I wanted to.”
When the LoDo space became available after EVOO closed in November, Hawver said she couldn’t get it off her mind. It had everything she wanted: an open basement for storage and events, beautiful gothic windows and historic brick – and the best part, it’s in a walkable neighborhood.
“The biggest thing is location,” she said. “I really looked around and this made the most sense, truly to be where people are, where people are visiting, where you can walk and kind of be in the heart of it all.”
EVOO Marketplace closed in November at 1338 15th St. in Denver. (BusinessDen file)
The store will sell vintage items (defined as anything from 2004 or later) from four vendors, two of which are new, as well as a few racks of Hawver’s picked collection. Vendors pay a rent fee and commission on items sold.
Overall she said people can expect a similar vibe as the original location, but it will sell a few “niche” categories such as vintage Broncos and Avalanche gear.
To help fund the second location, Hawver received a $15,000 grant from Denver’s office of Economic Development and Opportunity as part of its Popup program. Hawver’s specific grant was for retailers that were profitable and open for at least a year, but also wanted a downtown storefront.
In addition to the grant money, Hawver also invested cash to fund the second location, but declined to disclose how much.
Hawver moved from Rhode Island to Colorado 14 years ago to study entrepreneurship at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Before Show Pony, the 33-year-old worked at the Kirkland Museum and for a variety of other small businesses before that.
The repainted interior of the 1338 15th St. unit. (Courtesy Show Pony Vintage)
“I think I always knew that I would open a store one day,” Hawver said. “I’ve always loved clothing, thrifting, definitely someone who was really into fashion, so it took the natural turn into vintage and I love it. It’s so much fun, it’s like a treasure hunt.”
She decided to take the leap and open Show Pony two years ago, after the pandemic caused a surge in vintage and second-hand shopping.
“People were in this shift of changing jobs and careers, asking themselves what they wanted to do – a lot went into reselling, so the community and scene here just really blew up,” she said.
Now, Hawver said the market has slowed down some, with some vendors moving on and vintage collectives closing. But Show Pony is still kicking it, and Hawver plans on sticking around.
“It was kind of exploding and now all the dust is coming and settling,” she said. “The good thing about second-hand is it’s a great business to be in because it’s something people are caring more and more about and seeing the worth of it.”
Emily Hawver inside Show Pony Vintage’s store near the University of Denver. (Courtesy Show Pony Vintage)
Olive oil is out, vintage is in.
Show Pony Vintage is moving into 2,000 square feet at 1338 15th St., previously home to EVOO Marketplace for 15 years.
Emily Hawver opened the vintage shop’s first location two years ago near the University of Denver at 2025 S. University Blvd. That location sells vintage and secondhand items such as clothes and jewelry from 21 vendors.
“I just always knew I would have a second,” Hawver said. “I wasn’t necessarily focused on it, but I knew I wanted to.”
When the LoDo space became available after EVOO closed in November, Hawver said she couldn’t get it off her mind. It had everything she wanted: an open basement for storage and events, beautiful gothic windows and historic brick – and the best part, it’s in a walkable neighborhood.
“The biggest thing is location,” she said. “I really looked around and this made the most sense, truly to be where people are, where people are visiting, where you can walk and kind of be in the heart of it all.”
EVOO Marketplace closed in November at 1338 15th St. in Denver. (BusinessDen file)
The store will sell vintage items (defined as anything from 2004 or later) from four vendors, two of which are new, as well as a few racks of Hawver’s picked collection. Vendors pay a rent fee and commission on items sold.
Overall she said people can expect a similar vibe as the original location, but it will sell a few “niche” categories such as vintage Broncos and Avalanche gear.
To help fund the second location, Hawver received a $15,000 grant from Denver’s office of Economic Development and Opportunity as part of its Popup program. Hawver’s specific grant was for retailers that were profitable and open for at least a year, but also wanted a downtown storefront.
In addition to the grant money, Hawver also invested cash to fund the second location, but declined to disclose how much.
Hawver moved from Rhode Island to Colorado 14 years ago to study entrepreneurship at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Before Show Pony, the 33-year-old worked at the Kirkland Museum and for a variety of other small businesses before that.
The repainted interior of the 1338 15th St. unit. (Courtesy Show Pony Vintage)
“I think I always knew that I would open a store one day,” Hawver said. “I’ve always loved clothing, thrifting, definitely someone who was really into fashion, so it took the natural turn into vintage and I love it. It’s so much fun, it’s like a treasure hunt.”
She decided to take the leap and open Show Pony two years ago, after the pandemic caused a surge in vintage and second-hand shopping.
“People were in this shift of changing jobs and careers, asking themselves what they wanted to do – a lot went into reselling, so the community and scene here just really blew up,” she said.
Now, Hawver said the market has slowed down some, with some vendors moving on and vintage collectives closing. But Show Pony is still kicking it, and Hawver plans on sticking around.
“It was kind of exploding and now all the dust is coming and settling,” she said. “The good thing about second-hand is it’s a great business to be in because it’s something people are caring more and more about and seeing the worth of it.”
