For the past two years, Luling Lavender Fields has been nestled on land just outside of Luling - land that has been in the Watson family for four generations. “We wanted to be able to keep it in the family and looked for a business that people would want to support and that would take advantage of our amazing location at the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 183,” said business owner Erin Leavitt. “We thought that a field of lavender and a farm stand for products might work. But standing on our hill, looking out at all that traffic at Buc-ee’s and moving on I-10, we decided to take a leap of faith and go as big as we could afford to go and, building a unique store and inviting people onto the property, in a state where the land is all private and inaccessible, has worked. “Locals love to come in and shop and chat with our friendly and welcoming sales family. Big city folk get really excited and actually thank us for being here. They love to be outside in the country, breathing in the sweet scent of lavender plants. The fragrance is year round. Lavender is a perfect crop for this time: relaxing, soothing, and healing,” she added.
“Our store building is unique and of our own design, built partially of shipping containers. The Lavender field experience that we make available for free, all year round is not offered anywhere else that I know of.” Lavender Fields has a broad line of its own products: lotions, shampoo, conditioner, various soaps, bath salts, sugar scrubs, bath bombs and shower steamers, etc. - all handmade with lavender and other essential oils. The shop offers eye pillows with lavender, soft stuffed animals with lavender inside, culinary lavender as well as lavender salsa, jam, Margarita mix, spice blends. Also available is Lavender tea and an assortment of other natural teas and lavender honey to put in it. You will also find lots of beautiful local art and jewelry.
“Some of our bestsellers are the CBD products, which we spend a lot of time explaining to people. I never knew how much pain people carry until we introduced them to CBD. It almost always makes them feel better when we give them a sample of salve or they get some gummies. We have a CBD Tincture that tastes good and has been extremely popular. We make a lot of our products but I bring in products from all over the country so that we have a very big selection,” Erin said. The shop was closed for a few months this Spring and put nearly everything on its website at lulinglavenderfields.com. “We get a lot of orders for gifts and we mail packages all over the country.”
Erin said, “Our biggest challenge has been keeping the lavender plants alive and healthy. I guess everywhere has its challenges but growing lavender on this old rock quarry, with all its fire ants, moles, and gophers has been tough. The other lavender farmers we know are most challenged by the weather extremes, but for us its the varmints. “Many of our original 2,000 plants have died but we just keep planting and learning and hanging in there. Sometimes visitors are surprised that we don’t have acres of lavender like they’ve seen in pictures of France. Well, we are not a 200 year old commercial business with perfect climate and no adversaries. I think this is the best we will see in Texas. It’s very beautiful in full bloom!”
The owners say that they have many ideas for the future, particularly next Spring. “We are building a stage in an Oak grove where we plan to host Saturday ‘Fresh Air’ Concerts. The stage will also be for rent for DIY weddings and other small events. For safety, a lot of peoples’ activities will be moving outside when possible and this will be a lovely and safe place for them. We have started work on a nice bathroom building that will complement all the goings-on. “We have plans for walking trails and a playground. We will have food trucks for the weekend events. There is room for farmers markets and art markets. We hope to build an event center/wedding venue in a couple of years and add some cabins to rent. Our son, Lee, is working with us and brings a lot of the energy we will need for these projects.”
“I have very deep roots in Luling” Erin said. “My Dad, Bill Watson, who is 91, and my mother, Lois Watson, still live here on this property. My 5x Great Grandpa Thomas Wilson, came to Luling in the 1880s as an immigration agent for the railroad. The railroad company needed to sell all the land they had acquired when building the railroad so Grandpa Wilson went to England and put ads in the newspapers to recruit people to come to this area. He made seven or eight boat trips and settled 100 English families in Luling and 1,000 families from Columbus to Seguin. “He also owned many businesses in town including half a block on Main St. In 1883, he built buildings that are still there including the ones that house City Market and Blake’s. He operated a furniture store there for many years. He would help others who wanted to start businesses too, financially and as an advisor. Luling was a really thriving town for many years around the turn of the century, due in part to him.
"Watsons have been here ever since. Dad went to A&M but he couldn’t afford to buy land. He and Mom decided to go to law school. My Dad practiced law so he could afford to buy land and be a farmer. In 1955, the year I was born, they bought the 130 acres that would one day be home to Luling Lavender Fields. They would go on over the years to make six more purchases of contiguous land until they had the current 500-acre Watson Ranch. “We named our business Luling Lavender Fields so that people would know where we are. Luling is a big part of our identity and we are proud of it. It’s a great town and we love seeing the entrepreneurs on and around Main Street opening small businesses. We hope everyone gets through these tough times and has much success."
