Lilly Lane Market on Ledo Road a ‘one-stop gift shop’

LEESBURG — Ashley Castleberry completed requirements to earn certification as an x-ray technician in December. So, naturally, she opened a retail outlet on Ledo Road on the Lee-Dougherty County line on Saturday.

Customers were ready to shop at Lilly Lane Market when the doors opened Saturday morning, looking for unique items in what Castleberry — a first-time business owner — calls a “one-stop gift shop.”

Customers browsed for women’s and kids’ clothing and home decor items and checked out Martha Bowden’s (Martha Jane’s Jams and Jellies) home-made jellies and goodies in a special-made display case adjacent to the market cash register Saturday during the Lilly Lane Market’s first hour of business at the quaint 1937 Ledo Road shop.

“Yeah, I graduated with an x-ray tech degree in December, and I probably will do something (in the field) at some point, but right now this is where my focus is,” Castleberry, whose husband has created custom furniture and other items at Matthew’s Custom Woodwork in Leesburg for the past three years, said. “I was looking at options, and the opportunity to open a business in this location kind of fell into our laps, so we took it.

“I’m super excited; this is a big career change for me.”

Castleberry said most items in the Lilly Lane Market, like Bowden’s jellies and jams, will be supplied by local vendors.

“Everything leading up to the opening has gone pretty smoothly, especially when you consider that we’ve got the (coronavirus) pandemic going on,” the new business owner said. “Right now it’s going to be a pretty much family-run business.”

The Lilly Lane Market, which is named for the Castleberry’s children — Lilly and Lane — will be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.

Staff Photos: Carlton FletcherStaff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher

Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher