Today we’d like to introduce you to Franny’s Farmacy Raleigh.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our story really begins in 1980 on a quiet street on the north side of Raleigh, where two eight-year-olds living across from each other became best friends. That friendship between Loren and Paula has been the foundation of everything we’ve built together since.
For decades, we each carved our own paths working in retail, starting families and raising our children, and spending years as middle school educators, but we stayed close through all of life’s chapters. Then in 2022, a personal need changed everything. Loren’s parents, both in their 70s, were looking for natural relief from the anxiety, pain, and stress that can come with aging. Hemp had become legal, and we set out to find a knowledgeable, trustworthy place where they could get high-quality products and real answers. What we found instead was a frustrating gap of inconsistent products, poor experiences, and employees who couldn’t speak confidently about what they were selling.
That gap became our calling. We decided to retire from teaching and open a space that was education-forward, warm, and welcoming, somewhere a 21-year-old and an 81-year-old would both feel completely comfortable asking questions.
We dove deep into research, tested countless products, but nothing really met the quality expectations we were searching for, until we eventually discovered Franny’s Farmacy out of Asheville, NC. After falling in love with their products and learning about founder Franny Tacy’s story and mission, we reached out and learned they were offering franchise opportunities. In February 2023, we traveled to Franny’s Farm for Discovery Day, toured their manufacturing and distribution facility, met the team, and concluded it was the right partnership.
By September 2023, we made our public debut as Franny’s Farmacy Raleigh at the Hopscotch Music Festival, and spent the next year and a half building our community presence through pop-ups across the Triangle, including as sponsors of Pop-Up Raleigh at Trophy Maywood and participating in markets like Sip and Shop at Deep River Brewing in Clayton, Patchwork in Durham, and Unruly Women Night Market in Holly Springs.
Then in late February 2025, we opened our brick-and-mortar store in Cary, the physical home we’d always envisioned. Most recently, we were honored to be voted Best Of North Carolina 2026 by Guide to North Carolina, which felt like a beautiful validation of the community we’ve been working to serve.
Along the way, both of us personally discovered the therapeutic benefits of CBD and hemp, and that experience only deepened our commitment. We’re not just business owners; we’re true believers in what we carry, and passionate advocates for helping people find natural paths to wellness.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, it has been anything but a smooth road and we think it’s important to be transparent about that, because the challenges we faced are ones many hemp and wellness business owners quietly navigate alone.
One of the biggest hurdles has been financial. Even though hemp is federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp businesses are largely shut out of traditional small business banking, loans, and funding sources that other entrepreneurs take for granted. We had to get creative, drawing on our own personal savings, leaning on some incredibly generous private investors, and using credit to get the business off the ground. It required a level of financial risk that we don’t think either of us fully anticipated when we started this journey.
Then there was the search for a location, and that took much longer than expected. Our roots are in Raleigh, which is why we’re still proudly called Franny’s Farmacy Raleigh. Our first instinct was to make our mark there. But finding the right space proved incredibly difficult. We weren’t just looking for square footage at a fair rate. We wanted a property that matched our boutique, wellness-focused vibe. Time and again, a real estate broker would get excited about us as a tenant, move things forward, and then we’d hit a wall when the proposal reached the property owner or board. We heard “no” over and over. In total, we looked at more than 100 spaces.
What finally broke through was a stroke of luck and the power of brand recognition. The property managers at 280 Meeting Street in Cary already knew of Franny’s Farmacy. They had actually seen founder Franny Tacy speak at a business expo in Charlotte. That familiarity made all the difference. And honestly, we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Our spot across from Crossroads Plaza sits right at the intersection of several major highways, right on the border of Raleigh and Cary. It feels like it was meant to be.
The road was hard, but every “no” led us to exactly where we needed to be.
And just when we thought the hardest days were behind us, a new and very serious obstacle appeared. A federal hemp ban was quietly tucked into the appropriations bill used to reopen the government in November 2025, and it is set to go into effect this coming November. We have written letters to our federal and local representatives, and we will keep using our voices, but ultimately, the fate of our business and hundreds of thousands of others rests in the hands of Congress. They must act to repeal it, delay it, or put forward common-sense federal regulations that protect a legitimate and thriving industry.
The timing could not feel more cruel. Loren unexpectedly lost her husband in August 2025, and Paula is navigating this as a single mother. So this business is not a side project or a passion hobby for either of us. It is our livelihood, our purpose, and the foundation we are each building our futures on. We are finally experiencing real momentum, especially from customer referrals and word-of-mouth growth, and yet we are simultaneously facing the possibility of losing everything we’ve built. This was our plan for the future. That’s true for us, and it’s true for nearly 500,000 people employed across the hemp industry since the 2018 Farm Bill made this all possible. In an economy like this one, it is genuinely frightening to consider that Congress could allow a 30 billion dollar industry, one that grew 40% in 2024 and generates meaningful tax revenue through excise and sales taxes across the country, to be wiped out by the stroke of a pen.
The road has been hard. Right now, it feels the hardest it has ever been.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At our core, we are educators, and that never really changed when we left the classroom. We just found a new one. What we do every day at Franny’s Farmacy goes well beyond selling hemp and wellness products. We specialize in building genuine relationships, taking the time to truly get to know our customers. They aren’t transactions to us. They become friends; they become part of the Franny’s Fam.
Every person who walks through our door gets a real conversation. We greet everyone, we listen, we answer questions, and we meet people exactly where they are, whether it’s someone who has never tried CBD before, or someone who has been using hemp products for years. And just like in our teaching days, we are never too proud to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but I have the resources to find out for you.” That honesty, we believe, is a big part of what builds trust.
As mothers who genuinely care about our community’s wellbeing, we are constantly educating ourselves so we can better serve the people who walk through our door. Self-care isn’t a luxury- it’s a necessity in the stressful world we’re all navigating, and we want our space to feel like a sanctuary where that conversation is always welcome, whether you’re 21 or 81.
We think our customers say it best. Reviews consistently describe the experience as a welcoming environment where a knowledgeable team takes the time to listen, educate, and guide. One customer shared that it was an exceptionally welcoming space, while another noted that a staff member was so welcoming, helpful and patient, explaining everything to a first-time CBD user who had never tried it before. Others have described us as a beautiful shop owned by two intelligent, hardworking women with a welcoming atmosphere and a great vibe.
What we are most proud of is that the warmth people feel when they visit us isn’t a business strategy, it’s simply who we are. We curated this space because we needed it ourselves, for Loren’s parents, for our own wellness journeys, and for our community. That authenticity comes through, and we believe it’s what truly sets us apart.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Without question, it’s authenticity. Everything we have built flows from the fact that this business was born out of a real and personal need, and that genuine care for people will always be our focus.
We didn’t come into this as entrepreneurs looking for a market opportunity. We came in as a daughter looking for relief for her aging parents, as teachers who believed that an informed person makes better decisions, and as friends who have shown up for each other and for their community for over four decades! That foundation is not something you can manufacture, and we think people feel it the moment they walk through our door. They’ve said as much.
Our background as educators and mothers shaped everything about how we operate. We ask questions, we listen, we never talk down to anyone, and we are always honest, including when we don’t have an immediate answer. Customers feel informed and confident about their choices when they leave, and that matters deeply to us. Our mission is to be a sanctuary of purity and trust, a place where people feel confident in what they’re putting into their bodies and inspired to live well.
But beyond knowledge, it really comes down to how we make people feel. We treat every single customer the way we would want someone to treat our own parents with patience, warmth, and respect. That’s not a policy. That’s just us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.frannysfarmacyraleighnc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frannysfarmacyraleigh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frannysfarmacyraleigh
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FrannysFarmacyRaleigh
