Ashland Lavender Shop Gets New Name After Supplier Farm Closes

ASHLAND, Ore. — Pelindaba Lavender, owned for the last five years by Julie Harden, is rebranding after the franchisor/supplier Pelindaba Lavender farm in the San Juan Islands in Washington State stopped operating.

Pelindaba Lavender Farm Ceased Operations

Recognizable by its deep purple paint job and the lingering lavender aroma that wafted down the street, the owner of the iconic Ashland store learned in late January that the farm was closing. Employees had until Feb. 8 to return their laptops and were barred from the facilities.

After over 20 years in business, the farm was a popular destination and also distributed ingredients and products to Pelindaba Lavender stores in Oregon, Washington, Texas, Georgia, and Florida.

The franchisor and owner of Pelindaba Lavender, Stephen Robins, did not alert the franchisees of the farm’s closure.

The former owner of a Pelindaba Lavender franchise in Edmonds, Washington, Aimee Hauff said Robins alerted the store owners to a press release in July 2023, which indicated that the farmland had been put on the market as part of what was termed “a strategic operation.”

The release said the buyer would be a technical business transaction, and the new owner would lease the property back to Pelindaba LLC. Store owners requested more information to which Robins took exception. He said, “Both the content and manner of both questions are more than a little disconcerting.”

Allegations in the San Juan County court records suggest Robins was behind on payments for a series of loans from Banner Bank taken out between 2012 and 2019. Accounts, inventory, personal property, and life insurance policies were named as loan security and the maturity dates on all of the loans were extended many times.

All amounts became due and owing in April 2023 and the bank alleges Robins was in debt by over $3 million. They filed a complaint against Robins a month later and moved to foreclose on his properties.

A summary judgment hearing is scheduled to be heard on September 17, according to the San Juan County clerk. This will decide the fate of the once-fragrant Pelindaba Lavender farmland. Robins did not respond to multiple requests for comment and his lawyer declined to comment.

Ashland Lavender Store Rebranded

According to Hauff, Robins hasn’t spoken to the store owners and communication stopped in early January. Three Pelindaba stores closed and in March the farm made an Instagram post announcing its closure. The four surviving franchises were tagged.

The owners were faced with a choice between closing shop- some of which were 6-7 years old, or rebranding. Harden said funds were limited and money owed by Robins never materialized.

With just enough inventory to stay open during the months after the farm closed, Harden began the search for new lavender suppliers and started sourcing products. She said, “I had enough knowledge with some of our local farms here, and had already built relationships with them.”

The name of Harden’s store changed from Pelindaba Lavender Ashland to True Lavender Collective, illustrating her vision of showcasing the best lavender sourced from different local farms and brands across Oregon.