(Every prior issue of Floyd Virginia Magazine)
By Vickie Holt
This year, Floyd Virginia Magazine celebrates fifteen years of serving the people and the businesses of Floyd! From those who planted the seeds, to those who didn’t want to see it end, to those who continue on, the history of the magazine is one that encompasses what is best about Floyd, Virginia. It was born of community pride and sustained by community love and cooperation. It has come to be not only a promotional hub for local businesses, and not only a comprehensive resource for visitors, but also a lasting volume celebrating the people, history, and culture of Floyd. And it all began with a shared notion.
In 2007, Graphic Designer, Luis Garcia, was looking for a way to earn a living in Floyd. At the time, he was working on a publication for Hotel Floyd. It was a promotional magazine that would be used for advertising and marketing in the rooms of the hotel.
Though it was limited, this small publication inspired Luis. He thought that a larger publication, encompassing all of Floyd, could be a really good idea. After all, there was no other publication at the time that was promoting Floyd as a whole. This was also before Floyd had an established and organized method to provide tourism information.
It was with lots of ideas already in mind that he then set out to make some inquiries. After all, a project this ambitious would need a team.
As it turned out, Dee Wallace, David Larsen, and Gaynell Larsen of the Laurel Creek Farms (LCF) Group, had been tossing around the idea of a publication that would help to promote their Real Estate development business, along with other businesses in Floyd.
As Dee recalls, Luis, along with Rob Cluxton, met with the LCF team in their office at the Village Green and they spoke well to the point that they were all proud of Floyd. Luis had been looking for a strong concept for the magazine and wanted to do his part as Graphic Designer.
“LCF was already doing a lot in Floyd,” says Luis. “I was the outsider coming in.”
As they were already connected in the community, LCF brought a lot to the table during that first meeting. One of the first things to be decided was that the magazine would be a project with an ending. When they initially sat down, they wanted to come up with an agreement that everyone could commit to.
Ultimately, it was decided that Floyd Virginia Magazine would be a five-year project spanning ten issues. Dee would serve as Senior Editor/Story Writer. David and Gaynell Larsen would both do Ad Sales, as well as editing. Rob Cluxton would in charge of Distribution and Ad Sales, and Luis Garcia, of course, would be the Graphic Designer.
“The five-year plan,” says Rob, “projected what everyone would do and how it would all play out. Everyone knew what part they would play. It was like a band. There was the guitar player, etc. Everyone came together to make it happen.”
“It was Dee, however,” recalls Luis, “who brought the team together and kept everything on track.”
When the team first started reaching out to the community for advertising and stories, the reaction was immediate excitement. The business community especially had been looking for something like this for a very long time.
After a lot of hard work, the very first issue of Floyd Virginia Magazine was released in Spring of 2008! “It was a little bit of everything,” says Luis. “Stories plus promotion. We wanted to focus on the idea that someone would really want to read the stories.”
The debut issue featured stories from Floyd Pharmacy, The Jacksonville Center for the Arts, Cross Creek, and more. And it’s no secret that the thirty-six-page, full-glossy issue was an instant hit!
“From the start,” says Rob, “the excitement was huge for a full color magazine. People were really open to the idea, and they just couldn’t believe it had been put it together.”
There was also significant enthusiasm for the new advertising vehicle in town! After pioneering advertisers like Schoolhouse Fabrics and Franklin Design took the initial plunge, it wasn’t difficult to convince other businesses for subsequent issues.
George Lipson, former owner of the Green Label Organic warehouse and storefront in Floyd, says the magazine was the most successful advertising vehicle they ever had. “People came in and said they saw the ad in the magazine,” says George. “We had the inside front cover for a long time, and it was worth every penny. Over 50% of the foot traffic at our store was driven by our ad in Floyd Magazine.”
George goes on to tell us that he also used, and helped, the magazine by taking stacks of copies to shows they would visit. They would hand out the magazines as promotion, which would then inspire many folks to visit Floyd.
George also believes the magazine to be more than just a liner for the bottom of the bird cage. “When people come to Floyd,” he says, “they take the magazine home with them. It’s not a pick-it-up-throw-it-away kind of thing. Even if they didn’t visit our store, they would often go home and buy online. I never threw them away. I even took back issues along to shows and handed them out.”
David Larsen agrees. “Businesses loved the shelf life for the magazine. It lasts months, where an ad in the paper lasts just a month or two. The information stays relevant.”
The group had originally talked about producing 10,000 copies, but it ended up being 15,000. As Distributer, Rob Cluxton took the copies out into the community, going farther and farther afield to get the distribution spread out. He even took copies along to other cities and counties, such as Roanoke, when doing other delivery work. Rob even built magazine stands, some of which can still be found holding copies of the magazine, today.
Since LCF owned and developed Chantilly Farm, they found it the ideal place for making the magazine available to visitors. “Chantily Farm was a great place to distribute,” says Dee. “We made sure every visiting party got a copy. People really love to pick it up and read it.”
It only took a few issues for the magazine to become an integral part of Floyd, which was what the group had intended from the start. They had envisioned the magazine as a hub for all things Floyd: culture, business, history, and tourism. There was even a website in those early years.
It became so successful so quickly that businesses would wait anxiously for each new issue. Existing distribution points began calling for more copies, as their initial supplies would fly off the racks. Additionally, businesses that were not distribution points began calling to say they wanted it! Eventually, even the Chamber of Commerce came to them asking to have it for the Chamber.
“None of us had really done anything like this,” says Dee, “so it inspired us to do it our own way and keep doing it better.”
Luis Garcia agrees. “We worked hard, even though none of us were professional.”
Eventually, however, five years had gone by. Everyone on the intrepid team had fulfilled their original commitments. It was time for the LCF group to focus all their attention, once again, on business.
Luis and Rob, however, were not quite ready to walk away. The magazine was a huge success, and by this time, many businesses and organizations in the community had come to incorporate the publication in their business models through advertising and distribution. It had even become a highly valued tourism guide for visitors.
But the two men couldn’t do it on their own. When Luis wound up moving to Florida, it added the challenge of working remotely. With ad sales, story-gathering, editing, and distribution already weighing down their shoulders, Luis’ wife, Heather, stepped in to help with editing.
(Heather Garcia and Luis Garcia living it up in Florida!)
“I was doing sales, bringing in ads, checking with advertisers, and doing distribution,” says Rob. “When Luis went to Florida, it was all on me, except graphic design.”
As fate would have it, John Brill was a graphic designer looking for additional work.
“I first picked up a copy of Floyd Magazine at the Grandin Theater,” says John, “in Spring of 2010.” As luck would have it, the Grandin Theater was one of the drop points Rob had selected for those times he was doing other delivery work in Roanoke.
“I was a freelance graphic designer at the time,” John continues. “After looking at the magazine through the eyes of a designer, I really felt I could make it shine.”
John reached out to Dee Wallace. The two of them met and John showed her his portfolio. Though she thought it looked great, Luis was still serving well as the magazine’s graphic designer. Because of this, nothing came of the interview at the time.
Fast forward to January of 2013 and John was once again looking for more freelance graphic design work. He saw Floyd Magazine in his notes and thought it might be worth it to follow up. He reached out once again to Dee Wallace. Since Luis was just taking over as Publisher at that time, Dee passed John along to Luis.
Luis and John decided to meet at a bridal magazine network event in Blacksburg where John was able to present his portfolio once again. Luis hired him on the spot.
“I thought I was good,” says Luis, “but when I saw good work, I knew it and realized it.”
From John’s perspective, that meeting was equally auspicious. “I look back at that series of events and think of how fortunate I was to be in the right spot at the right time.”
With the team now complete, Luis, Rob, Heather, and John all got down to the business of continuing Floyd Virginia Magazine. They found a rhythm and a process that worked, even though half the team would wind up in Florida.
“It was automated, and it was like a well-oiled machine,” says Rob. “Everyone could still contact Luis online and it was just like he was there.”
For the next four years, Floyd Virginia Magazine continued its mission to promote the people and businesses of Floyd. As it had over the first five years, the popularity of, and love for, the magazine continued to grow. It was such a beacon of excellence that people began approaching to be part of it.
“It was amazing the number of times we were approached by other graphic designers wanting to be part of the magazine!” says Rob.
Even the LCF folks, though they were no longer part of the production team, continued to support and promote the magazine. To this day, David and Gaynell continue to carry copies in their car for distribution.
It was during this second age of the magazine that John McEnhill became Executive Director of the Floyd Chamber of Commerce. McEnhill had actually submitted content for the very first issue back in 2008, focusing on the Center for the Arts. One of McEnhill’s first projects as leader of the Chamber was to create a Visitor’s Center, and to really leverage the magazine for one of its greatest purposes.
“It was a great resource for residents,” says McEnhill, “but also for tourists.” McEnhill would often hand it to visitors asking questions and say, “Here…this is a great place to start.” The Visitor’s Center always keeps back issues on hand because it’s not just a ‘current’ magazine. “It’s got a long shelf life!” says McEnhill. “It’s never outdated. The stories are always relevant, informative, and entertaining.”
The Visitor’s Center found that the magazine was also particularly helpful for new residents, as well as being a great resource for highlighting new businesses.
2017 saw no Floyd Magazine due to unforeseen difficulties. By this time, however, John Brill had become such a supporter of the publication that he didn’t want to see it fade away.
“I got a hold of Luis and pitched him the idea that if he wasn’t going to continue with the magazine that I would love to have it.” When all was said and done, Luis passed the torch to John, and he was off and running.
Since the magazine had been absent for a year, John’s first order of business was to send out a mass email to all the previous advertisers, letting them know that the graphic designer from the previous five years would be stepping up to the office of Publisher.
John had never relaunched a magazine before, and so it was with significant nervousness that he anxiously awaited the replies. Within twenty-four hours, however, all his worries were laid to rest. Emails started pouring in from businesses signing on with their usual ad buys.
The second order of business was to connect with key people who had their fingers on the pulse of Floyd. “I remember first meeting Pat Sharkey,” says John. “She was so relieved that I was putting the magazine back together. A lot of people missed it, and some had begun hounding her to take charge of putting a new magazine together.”
Pat Sharkey, who was Floyd’s Tourism Director at the time, recalls it well. “The Tourism office wanted to partner and create a magazine,” she says. After speaking with John, however, she was happy to tell them there was no need! It was already happening.
Pat also recalls how John forming that relationship with the Tourism office helped the magazine to grow. With her input, a new Events page was created, and has been a feature in every issue since. “I felt more engaged,” says Pat. “It developed into a real partnership, and the magazine really did reflect Floyd.”
Pat goes on to say, “It was so comprehensive and up to date that many folks thought the Tourism office was directly involved. Watching John take over, I feel like the magazine became awesome for Floyd. Watching tourists and locals utilize the magazine has been awesome. It’s been amazing for promoting and sharing for Floyd.”
With the LCF group’s involvement being five years in the past, and with Luis and Rob having retired from the magazine, if fell solely to John Brill to manage all the ad sales, all the admin, all the story solicitation, and all the distribution in addition to continuing the graphic design.
Rather than this being a burden, John says it resulted in a refreshingly relaxed production flow. “Because I can always depend upon sales, publisher, graphics, and distribution to all know what is going on in each other’s heads!”
The only thing he needed was a good editor. After all, there is only so much one person can manage on their own.
The stories for the magazine come from business owners, organization leaders, artists, and event coordinators. Very few of these job descriptions require Pulitzer-Prize-Winning writing skills, and so many of the stories received need a little extra help to make them shine. It’s also true that many folks are shy about submitting stories because they are not confident in their writing skills, and they don’t want to look bad. For Editor, John brought on his great friend, Vickie Holt.
“I have seen stories before she touched them,” says John. “She has made sure of this! And I’ve seen them afterwards. She has an amazing talent for making every story submission look its best.”
Vickie Has been Internationally published since 1993, with such notable achievements as having been a writer for the popular “ElfQuest” comic book universe. She was also invited to be a contributing entertainment writer for the Indian news platform, UCNews. Most recently, Vickie has found a lot of professional work in regional magazines, including “Collage Magazine”, “ColorsVA”, “Brew Hub Magazine”, “Floyd Virginia Magazine”, and “Radford Magazine”.
“When John asked me to come on as editor,” says Vickie, “I had only one driving goal…that each article in the magazine be written to professional, journalistic standards.” It is Vickie’s philosophy that a magazine is only as professional as its writing. The more professional the publication, the more seriously it can be taken in the industry.
Back when John first came on board with Luis and Rob, he had completely redesigned the look of the magazine. With a journalistic-quality editor also part of the mix, the new Floyd Virginia Magazine looked better than ever.
“The magazine has really come into its own,” says John McEnhill, “and has matured really nicely. Polished and professional. Very inclusive. Even though it’s grown, I can still recognize elements from the beginning.”
Case in point to McEnhill’s observation, there are a lot of things John didn’t change a bit. “I’m from the school of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Consequently, as Publisher, I didn’t want to change a thing about what made Floyd Magazine work. I just tried to do a better job at what has made it work all along.”
When Luis Garcia was Publisher, he had made several important changes. One of those changes was to add a map of Floyd County in the centerfold, which turned out to be significantly noteworthy. Among the most consistent pieces of feedback received to this day is how much people appreciate the map. Most especially, it has helped many tourists to get around the area while visiting.
“As Publisher,” says John, “I take some pains to keep the map up to date and have improved this by adding a separate map page of just the Town of Floyd. Also, I always appreciate when someone lets me know of a change or addition that is needed on the map.”
Another innovation Luis made was to select a rural or pastoral scene for the cover image. It’s a style that John has continued, as he feels it does a better job of setting the tone for the magazine. To augment the style, John also seeks to utilize images of recognizable locations around Floyd.
“On the cover,” says John, “we have featured Mabry Mill, Rakes Mill Pond, the rusty old tractor in front of Reed Construction, Mr. and Mrs. Whitlow’s pond with the little boy on the dock, and the old ‘Fresh Produce’ truck in front of Sweet Providence.”
John encourages anyone to let him know about anything visually interesting by the side of the road on Route 8, on Floyd Highway North or South, or on the Parkway. You never know…it might end up on the cover!
Floyd Virginia Magazine is going as strong as ever, with the folks in the area really responding! Sara Dulaney, owner of Dulaney’s Greenhouses, had an article in the Spring/Summer issue of 2021. Like many in Floyd, she had been aware of the magazine for many years but had not yet been part of it. Finally, she decided to advertise, as well as to submit a story. The response, she says, was almost instant. “I absolutely loved the article, and public response was great.”
Sara goes on to tell us that after the article was released, she began seeing lots of new people at her greenhouses, many of whom were from out of town. As for the locals, she says they picked up the article on Friday and visited on Saturday. “They saw the article and had to come!”
Since becoming Publisher, John has also been expanding the content to include nearby communities that are also part of the Floyd market, such as Meadows of Dan,and Riner. As a result, businesses in these outlying communities are beginning to see the same magic happening at their own locations! Connie Hale, co-owner of Buffalo & More Restaurant in Riner, also had a story in the Spring/Summer issue of 2021.
She had been aware of the magazine prior to her story and had always been happy to be a distribution point. “There’s lots of great information and for travelers looking for things to do,” she says, admitting that she loves getting copies into as many hands as possible! “It means a lot to them.”
“Neighboring businesses also talk a lot about the magazine,” Connie continues. “Folks are always very interested. They’re always coming in to read the magazine! Lots of folks use social media for information, but so many people are looking for that tangible thing to hold in their hands and take with them, and people love taking the magazine with them.”
Once the Buffalo & More article came out, it showed just how closely all those readers had paid attention. “People have come in carrying the magazine,” says Connie, “pointing at a picture, and saying ‘we want that food!’”
When considering the current team behind Floyd Virginia Magazine, as well as all the hands that have nurtured it over the past fifteen years, John Brill takes a moment to reflect. “I view myself as caretaker of Floyd Magazine. I am not the first Publisher of Floyd Virginia Magazine, nor will I be the last. We want to make sure that every part of Floyd is represented in the magazine. We try to make sure that there is a variety of stories, not just within one issue, but between issues. Floyd Magazine has a special feel, and we do our best to maintain that.” (From Left to Right: Dee Wallace, Gaynell Larsen, David Larsen, and John Brill.)
John continues, “I am thankful for all the support from our readers, everyone who submits stories, and from our advertisers. Floyd Magazine wouldn’t exist without you. The next five years of Floyd Magazine will look a lot like the past five years of Floyd Magazine. We are going to continue to celebrate the people and entrepreneurs of Floyd, Virginia!”
Floyd Virginia Magazine • www.FloydVirginiaMagazine.com