Thursday, December 7, 2023
Hood County residents looking to westernize their wardrobe and put a little “Yee-haw” in their step will welcome the addition of Granbury’s newest boutique on the square.
Ryder & Scout, located at 111 E. Bridge St. in the previous Beam & Branch Realty building, opened on Nov. 11, looking to add a different market and niche to the center of town.
Ashley Roland is the current owner of the square’s Pug on a Pontoon, a boutique known for its pink and girly atmosphere and vulgar-themed merchandise.
But something was missing — namely a different “niche” that seemed to be lacking in the store in terms of products.
"We saw that we wanted to carry these more neutral pastels over somewhere else, but it just wasn't fitting, literally in Pug on a Pontoons’ walls,” explained Ashlee Stacey, manager of Ryder & Scout.
It soon became clear that trying to mix western, girly, and raunchy wasn’t exactly working — leading Roland to search for a different location for her new business idea.
“We started putting some words out, trying to get another space on the square, and it just so happened that the Beam and Branch Realty space came open," Stacey said. “This was quite literally the perfect space. We just saw a market that wasn't here. We know that there's an interest in Boot Barn, but we really wanted to be on the square. People that are coming to visit Granbury are not going to be interested in Boot Barn, so we wanted to have something not the same, but I guess similar, while also providing an experience."
While the reasoning behind the store’s name is sentimental and personal, Roland's inventory is all-inclusive and all-encompassing — including both the merchandise and pricing.
"The word Western is considered a high-end word, meaning people think it’s really expensive,” Stacey said. “But we're going to try to have a little bit of everything and have something for everyone, so our price ranges from high-end to not low-end, but affordable.”
Stacey said Ryder & Scout is also trying to be as “size-inclusive” as it can, carrying everything from extra small to 3XL.
"We have noticed that Western vendors or brands aren't always (size-inclusive) so we're really trying hard to work on that," she said.
With jackets, jeans, sweaters, T-shirts, boots and jewelry, Ryder & Scout has a product for everyone — even men.
“I'm really excited about our men's stuff that we have coming in,” Stacey said. “Men are forgotten about on the square. All they get is restaurants and like, a few places to buy a beer, so we're working on men's gifts and clothing."
The goal, Stacey said, is to eventually offer genuine, authentic turquoise as well as big-name brands like Wrangler and Ariat.
“I'm most excited about this store being a niche market on the square,” she said. “Everywhere around has its own. We have The Pan Handle, that’s just kitchen, and we have St. Helens and The Nest that are specifically home decor, so we really wanted to bring in something that is not already here."
Ryder & Scout will also be hosting some events in the building’s built-in bar, with the grand opening scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m.
“Our job is to create a five-star customer service experience,” Stacey said, adding that the online website ryderandscout.com includes a chat box in case a customer has a question on an item.
The website also offers local pickup for those who don’t require their purchase to be shipped.
"If you don't want to deal with the weekend crowds, but you want to make sure you get that graphic tee before it sells out, that's the place to do it,” Stacey said. “We do ship every day, so if you purchase before 4 p.m., it can ship out on Sunday depending on the speed of the postal service."
Stacey added that Ryder & Scout has a VIP page on Facebook as well, where customers can call “dibs” on brand new merchandise.
Ryder & Scout’s hours of operation are the same as Pug on a Pontoon: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to five p.m.
For more information, visit the Facebook page at Ryder and Scout, the Instagram page @shopryderandscout, or the website at ryderandscout.com.
