Located at 25 E. Broad St., the new venture is The Stony Pony
By Rosalie Ann LaGrutta
Partners Emily Hollinger of Brandon Farms in Hopewell Township and Sharon Titchell of Titusville, motivated by their love of horses, recently opened an equestrian boutique in Hopewell Borough, where Ms. Hollinger’s stony pony rides again.
Located at 25 E. Broad St., their new venture is The Stony Pony, a shop for equestrians and novice riders with quality clothing, saddles, boots, gifts for the home, and jewelry by silversmith Jane Heart, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.
They named the shop after Ms. Hollinger’s stony pony statue, which was displayed outdoors at her Hopewell Township farm Lo-mane Farm. When she sold the farm in August and moved to Brandon Farms, she just could not part with the pony. So, she stored in it her garage, because homeowner’s association rules did not permit her to keep the cement pony outside.
When the two women decided to join forces and open the equestrian boutique, Ms. Hollinger got the chance to display her stony pony outside again.
"This is horse country," said Ms. Hollinger, "and there are a lot of riding academies in this area, so an equestrian boutique was sorely needed here."
Ms. Hollinger, a music major in college, owned Lo-mane Farm on Pennington-Harbourton Road for 26 years. The farm, where miniature horses were raised, offered riding lessons and hosted summer programs and birthday parties. The farm has new owners and is known as Gone Away Farm.
Ms. Titchell started horseback riding at age 7. "Horseback riding has always been my love," said Ms. Titchell, "but after college, I got into retail and became a senior account executive and merchandiser for Liz Claiborne and Jones NY. For the past four years, Ms. Titchell has been a real estate agent with Weidel Real Estate in Ewing.
When Ms. Titchell’s 15-year-old daughter, Dana, started taking horseback-riding lessons at Ms. Hollinger’s farm, the two women became friends and decided to create The Stony Pony, which opened Nov. 25.
The boutique carries clothing for adults and children, riding apparel (such as sweaters and riding pants), equipment (such as helmets with the ASTA safety rating), grooming supplies for horses, treats, and greeting cards for horse lovers.
Adjoining the boutique is The Stony Pony consignment shop where the women sell quality used riding equipment and apparel, horse blankets, boots, riding pants, and show jackets. "Some of these items have been worn only once," said Ms. Hollinger.
A bulletin board displays names of places to board horses, take riding lessons, and names of trainers.
Store hours are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. The boutique is closed on Tuesday.
For more information, visit the Web site: www.thestonypony.com or call 466-8448.