In the late Fall of 1987, Annie and Jeff Armistead were married and found themselves living in Check, occupying an old farmhouse that had definitely seen better days. Somehow, with the help of wonderful and generous neighbors, they survived a few winters in that old house.
During some home renovations, Bill Graefe was a particularly generous neighbor; not only having helped the Armisteads on many other occasions, but also with the renovation work. Graefe and the Armisteads continued to trade talents over the years, tackling everything from standing seam roofing to woodworking. Jeff has considered Bill a good friend ever since.
As time passed, the Armistead family grew while Jeff and Annie progressed in their careers. After two local moves, the Armisteads eventually bought a farm in Riner. In more recent years, Annie found herself drawn once again to the wonderful Floyd community. She began driving into Floyd to work part-time at Troika Gallery, reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. When Silvie Granatelli, Susan Icove, and Gibby Waitskin decided to sell Troika in 2018, Annie, along with potter Abby Reczek, decided to take a leap of faith and buy the gallery. Annie and Abby each brought individual talents to Troika. Annie excels in staging art, where Abby is wonderful with marketing and social media.
Barely one year had passed when Bill and Corinne Graefe, with six grown kids between them, decided to retire. For twenty years, they had built Phoenix Hardwoods into a thriving business that eventually became an integral part of Floyd. Without a buyer, however, the Graefes faced having to close up shop. They agonized over the fact that long-time staffers, Bradley, Eric, and Henry, would lose their jobs. As most of the community knows, these young men are extremely gifted woodworkers.
One afternoon, Corinne stopped by Troika to drop off some pieces and explained to Annie about the Graefes’ plan to retire. After the initial shock, it didn’t take long for both Annie and Jeff, along with their son Ben, to begin discussing how the Armistead family could be a part of preserving the local legacy of Phoenix Hardwoods. They felt as if they were presented with the opportunity to not only continue cultivating fine local woodworkers, but to also continue producing beautiful hardwood furniture and accessories.
Once again, the Armisteads found themselves back in the warm embrace of the Floyd community. This time, it was thanks to the very folks that had helped them more than thirty years earlier, when they’d first put their hands into Floyd County the soil.
When the decision was made, Annie and Abby didn’t sit still for long. While Jeff and Ben took over the 
Phoenix Hardwoods operation located just six miles from Floyd, Abby and Annie were busy planning a presence for Phoenix in town. They leased another space in The Station that will provide room to display larger pieces of furniture and accessories. The new store will be called “Troika Home”, and it will open its doors to the public in April of 2020. Meanwhile Jeff is discovering that many of his life experiences have led him to this new, special place. He will soon finish his tenure with the Department of Forestry, which will allow both him and Ben the time to focus solely on Phoenix Hardwoods.
Jeff’s career has been in conservation for decades. First, he was Director of the Selu Conservancy. He was then Board President of the New River Land Trust, managing a family tree farm and doing research for the Virginia Department of Forestry.
Ben was born in Floyd and feels he has landed where he has always belonged. For the past twelve years, he has worked with his hands as a talented carpenter; most recently under the tutelage of Al Anderson, restoring timber frame structures. He plans to continue keeping his hands dirty in the shop but will also be learning the business end of what Corinne and Bill have started.
Change is difficult, yet Bill and Corinne have excitedly welcomed the changes to the old showroom, including new gallery lighting, paint, flooring, and windows. It has created a new space for Phoenix’s talented wood workers to proudly display their art. Jeff and Ben are now working closely with Bill, Corrine, Bradley, Eric, and Henry to learn every aspect of the business. They have made a promise to Bill and Corinne that they will continue in their stead; ensuring that Phoenix Hardwoods keeps thriving for many years to come.
Phoenix Hardwoods • 2540 Floyd Hwy N, Floyd, VA Annie & Jeff Armistead • phoenix-hardwoods.com 540-745-7475 • hardwoods2020@gmail.com
At the time, both had been working in the HVAC business for different companies. In 1990, however, they decided to team up and open their own full-service heating and air conditioning company called Tinbenders. The whimsical name comes from the fact that the partners made their own metal ductwork to help offset initial costs. The name also reflected their additional service of making and installing metal roofing.
In the Fall of 1995, Rick and Alan were approached by WaterFurnace International; an alternative heating and cooling company. WaterFurnace told the partners that there was an abundant source of free, renewable energy that could be used to heat a house in the winter, cool it in the summer, and provide hot water at the tap all year round. Skeptical yet intrigued, the Tinbender boys proceeded to have themselves trained in this alternative technology, and in 1996, they installed their first geothermal heat pump system. This kind of set-up delivers an amazing four units of energy for every one kilowatt of electric energy used. That is an efficiency rating of 400%!
Tinbenders continue to learn with ongoing training. They also constantly upgrade their services and products as the industry moves forward.
Ed tells us that the people of Floyd are so happy with Tinbenders that a lot of their business comes directly from references. They also get calls when folks see the Tinbenders vans driving up and down the roads of Floyd on other appointments. All in all, Tinbenders has a great reputation in Floyd County, and all the guys at Tinbenders appreciate the support the County has provided them.
Tinbenders, Inc. offers free estimates, maintenance contracts, system replacements, new installations, and 24-hour repair service. They also install geothermal systems, on demand water heaters, boilers, and radiant floor heating systems.
A crew set off across the east coast in an old farm truck with a brick oven built on its bed, baking beautiful pies everywhere they went; building the reputation of Dogtown Pizza. In the summer of 2010, however, after having travelled like this for a few years, a great permanent location presented itself. Dogtown settled in Floyd, Virginia.
Over the years, Dogtown Roadhouse has grown an amazing reputation due to its delicious, wood-fired pizza, as well as its sixteen local, regional, and national craft beers on tap! Their good name is also due to their extensive menu and full bar service.
In essence, Dogtown has become its own culture; filled with many different characters all coming together to create a community-based experience for all. Dogtown Roadhouse strives to provide a family-friendly environment that serves delicious pizza creations, as well as a variety of beverages. All this in one lively spot where people can enjoy the kind of great company and comradery that continues to build and foster lasting relationships.
For more information about Dogtown Roadhouse and Sun Music Hall, to peruse the menu, to see a calendar of events, or to book catering, visit online at www.dogtownroadhouse.com. You can also follow Dogtown Roadhouse on Facebook to keep up to date on acts hitting the stage!
“We’ve farmed this valley for generations, and it always comes back to stewardship,” says Roger Slusher. “It’s the focus of our work. The direction we are always working towards is how we can make this operation sustainable for the long run in order to hand it over to the next generation in better shape than how we received it. Practices like cover cropping, minimum tillage, and rotational grazing go a long way.”
Two years ago, with an eagerness to provide for that community, Roger and Leslie Slusher approached their local Farm Credit loan officer with a vision of raising better food. Today, they are doing just that, having gathered an abundance of local support along the way.
In addition to delicious foods, Fields Edge Farm offers agritourism experiences for the everyone to enjoy. “We’re creating opportunities to get people out to the farm to learn about the things we grow,” says Kat. “To appreciate the scenery and connect with farmers in a new way.”
For information about upcoming events at the Farm, as well as locations where you can purchase Fields Edge Farm products, visit online at www.fieldsedgefloyd.com or follow Fields Edge Farm on social media.
The greenhouse at Willis Village Mart is typically full of flowers and vegetable plants for your garden needs during the spring, summer and fall months. Instead of lying dormant and empty during the cold winter months, however, the greenhouse was transformed last year into a donation area and place of giving! Individuals and families in need were able to shop for much-needed items for free. That’s right! All donated items were passed along to families in need for free. Neighbors Helping Neighbors was a go!
The winters in Floyd County can be brutal, and heating costs can be expensive. There’s a phrase around Willis/Buffalo Mountain/Indian Valley in the wintertime – ‘Never mind the forecast, we make our own weather here’. Thus, gently used clothes, shoes, coats, blankets, household items, toys, etcetera are greatly appreciated, and much needed by families who otherwise may not be able to afford these things. These donations will allow families some relief from choosing between paying the electric bill and having coats and warm clothing for the winter. All items will be collected at Willis Village Mart and then organized in the greenhouse for easier shopping.
Eventually, hymnals began to appear using the seven-note system: do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti. Each hymn began with singing the notes of the entire song prior to beginning the hymn, leading some to affectionately dub these groups ‘the fasola-folk’. Singers were arranged in a square, with the leader standing in the center: altos facing tenors and trebles facing basses. Different parts were often entered at intervals, forging the tune in a manner similar to a round.
The Floyd County Historical Society is paying homage to this traditional music as part of this year’s “Tribute to the Churches of Floyd County”. The current exhibit features Shape-Note hymnals from nearly every denomination in the county. The Floyd County Historical Society will host a public event on Saturday, November 9, 2019 featuring the history of shape-note singing, as well as the Floyd Shape-Note Singers at the Floyd Center for the Arts. The event will begin at 10:00 am with a brief Historical Society meeting followed by guest presenters and shape-note singers. This event is open to the public and the Historical Society invites everyone interested in this traditional music to attend.
Built in 1927, the construction of StoneHaven Bed & Breakfast features soapstone that was quarried in Floyd, as well as rich, original woodwork throughout. This Georgian style home is located at 244 Christiansburg Pike NE in Floyd; just one mile from the stoplight downtown.
This B&B offers four, handsomely decorated bedrooms; each with a unique theme and special name. In addition to the comfort of private bathrooms and central air, StoneHaven offers wi-fi, flat-screen televisions, a library, an expansive porch, and a gazebo, as well as homemade breakfasts made with organic and locally sourced ingredients. This B&B is also just minutes away from the stoplight in downtown Floyd, where visitors can enjoy local, world-class music, fine arts and crafts, shopping, dining, recreation, and adventure!
Owners Chris and Jennifer Miller feel that buying StoneHaven Bed & Breakfast was their destiny, and according to Jennifer, it was a story that was years in the making.
Years later, Jennifer’s early adult life revolved around raising her own family; a task for which she kept in constant touch with her favorite teacher. “I spent hours on the phone with Mama,” she says. “She literally taught me to cook over that old rotary telephone with its ten-foot cord.”
The defining moment of their experience in Maine, however, came when they’d stopped at a well-known restaurant in Camden; famous for their lobster rolls. Unaware of the time, Jennifer and Chris had arrived when the place was closing to prepare for the dinner crowd. As they turned to walk away, they were quickly greeted by the owner who escorted them back in and insisted on serving them personally. Afterward, he walked them back out and asked if they had any plans for their future together.
That was fifteen years ago. In May of 2018, however, the whisper of destiny that had been following Jennifer since childhood finally became a triumphant song. She and Chris purchased the old soapstone home on Christiansburg Pike and opened StoneHaven Bed & Breakfast two months later.
Twenty years or so later, while living in Floyd County with my wife, Joanne, we were making our living at Art and Craft shows. While exhibiting at these shows, I would often see other people selling their photography. Then one day, it occurred to me that I could do it, too! I had loved the Ridge and Valley country of Virginia since I lived in Lexington as a boy. And now that I was living in the Blue Ridge, surrounded by amazing natural beauty, it seemed a dream within reach that I could make and sell landscape photographs.
I traveled the Blue Ridge regions of Virginia and North Carolina with my large format, 4X5 camera; taking photographs of the natural beauty to be found there. I enjoyed using this big, bulky, awkward, and slow camera because it imposed discipline on the art of seeing. When I went out for a day of shooting, I would just take around twenty sheets of film. This limited number of shots for a long day of picture-making required a deliberate and thoughtful approach. Of course, I also wanted to have some film left for the often-magical evening light.
After working in my darkroom for eighteen years, I began to make the transition; first to wide format digital printing on canvas, and then to using a professional digital camera. This was a challenge. I was not a computer guy. But I did learn, and I’ve become a big fan of the process, as well as the beautiful prints I can make. The tools I use now allow even greater control and artistry than I had in the darkroom. I still love printing, and I still get great satisfaction from producing a beautiful image, even after printing over twenty thousand photographs!
When I go out to shoot photographs, I try to attune myself to the visual world in a special way. I see the angle and color of the light, and I imagine what the scene might be like from a different point of view or at a different time of day. I move slowly along the trail, paying attention to small details. I stop and observe. I move a little to the left or right and observe some more; sometimes looking through the camera or changing the lens. This is how I slowly work my way into a scene. From a day of photography, I can hope to get one or two special images. That’s always a good day!
Phoenix Hardwoods’ products exhibit a clear, practical utility, as well as an obvious connection to the original tree and a genuine beauty. Take, for example, a stool with a seat that shows the warm hue and chatoyant gleam of butternut. Or a table with a top and legs made from the same piece of curly maple; featuring an entrancing, rippling figuring, as well as a live edge. Or even a headboard in which the original shape and coloration of a thick walnut slab is captured in a Shaker-style frame. “It still looks like the tree,” Bill says.
That level of dedication to making sure everything is just right can also be found on Phoenix Hardwoods’ shop floor, where, in addition to Bill and Corinne, four full-time employees build furniture by hand. To be sure, they use power tools, but the machines are hand-controlled, not computer-operated, and no detail is overlooked. For example, the stools use wedged mortise and tenon joints to connect each seat to its legs. This joinery technique involves hand rasping the opening of the mortise (in the seat) to create a wider opening, which allows for the insertion of a wedge into the end of the tenon (the top of the legs). The result is a much stronger joint.
Walk into the shop one day, and you may see Henry Vangunten working on his original new design; a table with a floating top. Beside him, Eric McDaniel may be gluing and clamping stool legs, then setting them aside to dry for a day. Caleb Johnson, who has been with Phoenix for over fifteen years, will be coming up with unique ways to use the unusual scraps of highly figured lumber.
The Graefes mostly use a linseed oil-citrus solvent finish; applying a minimum of three coats and burnishing between coats. The tables are mostly finished with a dull, waterproof varnish. Preparing and finishing a burl live-edge piece is incredibly time-consuming, but it’s the kind of work which brings Corinne satisfaction. “I’ve always been interested in woodworking,” she relates. “I was the first girl in my shop class.”
Phoenix Hardwoods is particularly known for its larger pieces. Bill loves working with five-foot wide logs. They are also famous for being featured in the rooms and lobby of Hotel Floyd. The company uses mainly hardwoods native to New River Valley forests, but they will also work with hardwoods recovered from planted species. “Arborists bring us all kinds of amazing logs,” they say.
Currently, the Buffalo Hemp Company are leasing to buy a seventy-five-acre farm on Franklin Pike. That land, along with an eight-thousand square foot building and outbuildings provide plenty of room for the business to grow. Their first field acre of hemp for CBD should be ready for harvest around October, and other plants have been grown onsite in greenhouses. Some of the harvested plants to be used for free-roll CBD smokes are already hanging in a drying room.
Attracted to the challenge of creative business development in a new industry, Wall said he likes the idea of CBD products being part of the “farm-to-table” movement, as well as the local economy. The first step toward the focus on the local economy, Wall tells us, will be to hire local employees to run the shop and harvest the crop.