Gatesville Entrepreneur Opens Hemp Shop to Educate Local Consumers
Amanda Ashby is opening The Hemp Lady off Main Street in Gatesville, transforming a years-long home operation into a local storefront that emphasizes in-store education and transparent sourcing of CBD and THC products. By incorporating a 21-and-over retail room and child-resistant packaging to meet new state rules, the business aims to normalize legal, wellness-focused hemp products while addressing safety and regulatory requirements for Coryell County residents.
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Amanda Ashby, a local entrepreneur who has operated a hemp business from her home for several years, is moving to a storefront on Gatesville’s Main Street with the launch of The Hemp Lady. The new retail location is designed to provide in‑store education about CBD and THC products and to make sourcing and labeling practices transparent for customers who have questions about legality, potency and uses.
The shop will include a designated 21-and-over room to comply with recently enacted state regulations governing hemp and THC retail. The business also plans to use child-resistant packaging for its products, a measure aimed at reducing accidental ingestion and aligning with public-safety standards. Those operational choices mark a shift from informal, home-based sales toward a regulated retail environment that emphasizes legal compliance and consumer protection.
The move to a visible Main Street storefront has several implications for Gatesville and Coryell County. For local consumers, an educational retail model can reduce confusion around similar-sounding products, clarify which items are legal for sale, and provide guidance on safe storage and use. For municipal leaders and regulators, the transition from home operations to a licensed shop simplifies oversight and can demonstrate how regulated cannabis-adjacent commerce functions within existing public-safety frameworks.
Economically, opening a brick-and-mortar shop represents a form of small-business investment in Gatesville’s commercial corridor. While specific employment and tax figures have not been released, the conversion of a home operation into a retail location typically implies modest local hires, increased foot traffic for neighboring businesses, and a new taxpayer on the commercial rolls. The emphasis on transparent sourcing may also appeal to consumers who prioritize traceability and quality—factors that have driven growth in wellness-oriented retail categories more broadly.
Community responses to hemp retail can vary, ranging from enthusiasm for new wellness options to concerns about youth access and public signage. By restricting one sales area to adults and adopting child-resistant packaging, The Hemp Lady is positioning itself to address common community concerns while seeking to normalize legal, wellness-focused hemp products in town.
As The Hemp Lady prepares to open its doors off Main Street, Gatesville residents will have a local option for guided, regulated access to hemp products and a visible example of how small-business operators adapt to changing state rules. The store’s educational focus and compliance measures may help shape local norms around hemp commerce and set expectations for future entrepreneurs in Coryell County.
