Standing on Tinker Street in the heart of Woodstock, watching tourists and locals alike pause to peer through the glass door of HERbal Woodstock, you can almost feel the weight of history settling around you like morning mist over the Catskills. This isn’t just another dispensary opening in another New York town—this is cannabis coming full circle in the place where counterculture first bloomed into mainstream consciousness.
Inside, Melissa Gibson moves through her carefully curated space with the confident ease of someone who’s found their calling. The 60-year-old former USA snowboarding champion (50-and-over division, she’s quick to clarify with a laugh) has transformed what was once Jarita’s Florist—a beloved local institution for 45 years—into something that honors both the town’s psychedelic past and its wellness-focused present.
“It feels very special to be a part of the historical and cultural entrenchment and attachment between cannabis and Woodstock,” Gibson reflects, gesturing toward the hemp root displays that cascade from the ceiling like natural chandeliers. “We’ve tried very hard to reflect where Woodstock is now—not living in the past, but rather, connecting that past to the present.”
From Hemp Pioneer to Cannabis Entrepreneur
Gibson’s journey to becoming a co-owner of Woodstock’s first and only licensed cannabis retailer began not with business ambitions, but with a health crisis that would reshape her understanding of plant medicine entirely. After developing multiple autoimmune disorders—celiac disease, Lyme disease, and Graves’ disease—all converging with menopause in 2014, she found herself searching for natural solutions.
“I ended up getting very sick a number of years ago,” Gibson explains, her voice carrying the weight of someone who’s traveled through darkness toward light. “I was looking for a natural solution to my health conditions, and I discovered how CBD, mostly at the time, not THC, but CBD, could help me. I started taking it therapeutically – and by that I mean taking large doses on a regular, consistent basis. All those disorders I mentioned either went to full remission or at least their symptoms lessened.”
This personal transformation sparked something deeper—a recognition that her lifelong love of nature and athletics connected to cannabis in ways she’d never imagined. The same plant that was helping heal her body could also help heal the planet.
“When I learned that you can grow hemp in three months and yield fiber that can be used to create any number of things that could disrupt more extractive industries like the lumber industry, I thought to myself, why would you chop down a tree that’s been growing for 50 years when you can grow hemp quickly and sustainably to provide the same product application and value?
Hemp and Humanity: Building the Foundation
In 2016, Gibson launched Hemp and Humanity, bringing CBD education to Long Island farmers’ markets and conferences long before it became mainstream. Her approach was radically holistic from the start—customers came to her asking how hemp could address their health and left with an added understanding of how this plant could also “feed, shelter, clothe, and fuel” them.
The timing proved prophetic. When COVID hit and cannabis was deemed essential, Gibson recognized the need for a physical space where people could access education and products in a comfortable, destigmatizing environment. She subleased a small space in Woodstock for Hemp & Humanity, sharing it with a florist couple who had been serving the community for over 45 years. They would later retire, and the entire space would become the permanent home of HERbal Woodstock.
“I thought it was great—we were right next to the flowers, they had their kind of flowers and we had ours,” she recalls with obvious affection for the synchronicity.
For two and a half years, Gibson co-hosted “Homegrown Hemp” on Radio Woodstock, educating the community about everything from hemp plastics to soil remediation. The show tackled the “wonky” side of cannabis, explaining how hemp addresses environmental and sustainability challenges and why it isn’t more prevalent despite its remarkable potential.
“Infrastructure and investment are two of the biggest hurdles to mainstream acceptance and use of industrial hemp,” Gibson explains. “Hemp is heavy, so if the whole point is sustainability, you don’t carry it from place to place to process it. You need regional focus and local focus.”
The Whole Plant Revolution
When New York legalized adult-use cannabis on March 31, 2021, Gibson faced a crucial decision: could a hemp store survive once dispensaries offered THC products? Rather than retreat, she doubled down on her vision of reuniting the whole plant.
“It always seemed absurd to me that we were separating the plant into its parts,” she reflects. “The idea of bringing the whole plant back together again was really the driving force in my applying to get a license.”
Gibson secured her license in June 2024 and joined forces with partner Courtney Beaupre, a compliance officer for a local nonprofit who shared her passion for wellness-focused cannabis and had already established and operated her own hemp retail operation in Gardiner, NY. After navigating various municipal and state regulatory hurdles, the two moms and plant advocates opened the doors of HERbal Woodstock on March 31, 2025—exactly four years after cannabis legalization in NY.
A Different Kind of Dispensary Experience
Walking into HERbal Woodstock feels more like entering an apothecary than a typical dispensary. Products aren’t organized by brand or potency, but by desired effects: “Relieve and Recover,” “Sleep and Relax,” “Uplift and Focus,” and “Vibe and Connect.” The Hemp and Humanity section maintains Gibson’s original vision, showcasing CBD and other non-THC products alongside hemp fiber options like hemp bags and hemp yoga straps.
“We’re not about selling you a brand,” Gibson emphasizes. “We’re about figuring out—almost like a matchmaker—which products are best for you. We ask, how do you want cannabis to make you feel, and how do you want to consume it? Then our expert staff personally guides you through your options, making recommendations from our consciously curated offerings. This approach resonates particularly with Woodstock’s demographic—an older clientele rediscovering cannabis after decades away. Gibson frequently encounters customers who used cannabis in their youth but set it aside for family or career reasons.
“So many folks come in and say, ‘I used to smoke a lot when I was younger and then it didn’t serve me in my daily life, so I stopped’ or ‘I had kids and didn’t want them to know I was smoking,'” she explains. “Now they come back to cannabis, and the landscape has completely changed. If they’re not educated, they might take one hit of something that’s way too strong, and think, ‘Oh, this isn’t for me.'” We don’t want that to happen. The good news is that we carry rigorously tested products – we know THC potencies, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and we only offer cannabis that is safe to consume, free from heavy metals, mold, and toxins. With us to guide you, your chances of coming back to a good experience are extremely high (pun intended).”
Community Integration and Cultural Stewardship
HERbal Woodstock’s commitment to community extends beyond its walls. Gibson and Beaupre deliberately limited their accessory selection to avoid competing with longtime local head shops, and they often partner with surrounding businesses to create a comprehensive Woodstock experience.
“We call ourselves the destination dispensary,” Gibson explains. “You can come here to enhance those experiences, but we encourage you to eat at our restaurants and participate in the activities, listen to the music, and shop and visit. We want to be part of the community in a way that supports each other.”
The dispensary’s location at 17 Tinker Street places it at the heart of Woodstock’s arts district, across from the famous Village Green park, surrounded by independent businesses that have defined the town’s character for decades. Gibson sees this as both a privilege and a responsibility.
“Every effort that we make—whether it’s you with The Other Magazine, whether it’s us with our dispensary—we’re all trying to normalize and destigmatize this plant. We want it to be just a part of everyday life. You go to the post office, you go to the hardware store, you grab a slice of pizza, and you come to get your cannabis. It’s just part of it.”
The Personal Touch: Gibson’s Cannabis Journey
Gibson’s personal relationship with cannabis reflects her holistic approach to wellness. She starts each day with a full-spectrum cannabis tincture containing helpful cannabinoids and uplifting terpenes for focus, recovery, and mood management. As someone who describes herself as “sensitive” to THC, she’s become “the queen of cutting things in half or quarters,” preferring 2.5mg edibles that allow for multiple experiences rather than “one and done” sessions.
“I like the idea of a strength that enables you to enjoy the ritual of the plant,” she explains. “There are so many benefits to the whole plant, so when you have a full-spectrum product or live rosin, you’re getting all the terpenes, all the cannabinoids.”
Her athletic lifestyle—she still competes in high jumping, plays tennis, snowboards, and hikes regularly—is supported by her line of CBD topicals called “Out There Hemp Care,” which she uses for post-workout recovery.
Legacy and Vision: Bridging Generations
Perhaps most remarkably, Gibson’s work extends beyond commerce into genuine education and cultural preservation. She recalls a family visit to her hemp shop during the COVID-19 pandemic, where an eight-year-old girl became fascinated by hemp’s environmental potential, ultimately asking her mother for a “hemp phone” after learning about the plant’s applications in technology. Unlike petroleum-based plastics that persist in the environment for centuries, hemp can be processed into biodegradable plastics that break down naturally while offering superior strength and flexibility.
“Those things just keep you going,” Gibson reflects. “You realize that you can teach the next generation. They get it. Generations after us understand that you can draw down CO2 and remediate soil with this plant simply by growing it—even if you never harvest it.”
The Woodstock Way Forward
As HERbal Woodstock approaches its first summer season, Gibson embodies something rare in the rapidly expanding cannabis industry: an authentic connection to place, purpose, and community. Her journey from Long Island marketing executive to hemp educator to a cannabis pioneer in Woodstock reflects the plant’s evolution from counterculture symbol to wellness tool to legitimate medicine.
Standing in her shop, surrounded by the hemp roots and full-spectrum products that represent decades of learning and advocacy, Gibson represents something precious—continuity between cannabis’s radical past and its promising future. In a town that taught America to question authority and embrace natural healing, HERbal Woodstock isn’t just selling cannabis; it’s stewarding a legacy.
“We didn’t just come into Woodstock and say we’re going to make our fortune as a dispensary,” Gibson emphasizes. “We’ve already been here, we know the people, we know the town, and we honor its spirit.
In an industry often driven by venture capital and rapid expansion, Gibson and co-owner Beaupre have a patient, community-centered approach that offers a different model—one where the plant’s full potential can unfold naturally, just like the counterculture movement that first took root in these very hills over half a century ago.
