How Did Moxie and the Compound Begin?

Kayci Wheatley, owner of Moxie, got dang tired of selling her wares for wholesale prices. "I want to keep ALL the money," she's been known to say. Assuming that all her designer friends felt the same way, she thought about starting a co-op of sorts where they too, would be able to keep more of the money they made. That's when she decided Austin needed a showcase for only local designers.

In March of 2003, Moxie and the Compound opened in a groovy old house in South Austin with just 10 designers. Now 2 years later, they have over 75, with new designers coming in all the time, and a brand spankin' new location, too! If you're a designer that lives in Austin, we'd love to hear from you!

What's Up With the Name?

Kayci had decided on 2 names for the store. One was "Moxie," seeing as you have to have that in order to even consider opening a store. The other was "The Compound," since the idea was for Moxie to be a co-op, and let's face it, compound is a way cooler word than co-op.

So... picture Kayci & partner-in-crime Kathie Sever one drunken night, passing ideas around...

Kayci: "I've got names for the store. Moxie and The Compound. What do ya think?"

Kathie: "Moxie and the Compound!! That's genius!!"

And so it is.

(Kathie came to her senses and decided not to partner with Kayci in the store, but to sell her fabulous designs in it instead.)