Recognized as one of the coolest towns in the USA, Floyd, Virginia is home to a melting pot of eclectic artisans. And literally melting metals in this melting pot of artisans is the newest creative business proud to call Floyd its home! Blue Ridge Alchemy is the town’s newest art gallery, standing apart from the others by showcasing the art of glass blowing!
Blue Ridge Alchemy is owned and operated by Floyd locals, Kenan Tiemeyer of Shady Grove Homestead Arts, and Caleb Storm Dickman of Liquid Fire Glass. The shop is located at 115 Sweeney Street SE, near the heart of town; behind DJ’s Drive-In and along The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. Blue Ridge Alchemy features live glass blowing, classes, bench rental, and a retail gallery space. While browsing, guests can watch glass creations being made before their eyes!
This exciting new gallery experience occupies a storefront that was home to a television store in the 1970’s. It was then a floral shop, and finally a secondhand store. The proud, new owners tell us that customizing the space to their needs took six months, but they were particularly excited to add a glass lathe and a sandblast room! They have also been working hard to install a top-of-the-line ventilation system to service a great, creative workspace.
These two talented artisans met twenty years ago at Seeds of Light in Blacksburg, a business that belonged to Caleb’s mother. From there, their friendship and business relationship began.
Kenan has been working with flamework glass for over two decades. He grew up in Michigan and moved to the mountains of Floyd after earning his BS degree in Communications/Film and Video Production. Shortly after the move to Virginia, he married his wife, Tree. She is also a creative artisan who owns and operates The Enchanted Tree, which features her own glasswork, beadwork, woven items, and honey from the couple’s homestead hives.
Over the past two decades, Kenan has been increasingly focused on creating ethereal scenes of energetic beauty that speak to the soul, utilizing vaporized pure gold and silver. His primary aim has been to create large, solid orbs and paperweights. Kenan has sold his work all over the world and has taught and exhibited throughout the USA, Japan, Canada, and France. After spending much of his career working alone in his secluded Indian Valley studio, he is thrilled to have a spacious studio and gallery in the town of Floyd. There, he can showcase his work to the public and teach the art of working with vaporized precious metals.
Growing up, Caleb’s family included many builders and craftsman. This led to Caleb discovering the detailed complexity of glass. The time he spent helping his mother at Seeds of Light increased his fascination and love of handmade art and glass. Crossing paths with Kenan in the early 2000’s helped start Caleb along his glass blowing journey, and he apprenticed for a year under Kenan’s guidance.
Caleb pulls his inspiration from nature, music, visionary art, and crystals. His never-ending urge to combine materials into wearable, functionable art led to his craft of mixed media. He strives to make unique and rare pieces.
In addition to glass and mixed media, Caleb was also drawn in 2014 to the magic of copper electroforming. Electroforming is the delicate process of fusing copper onto other mediums such as leaves, crystals, glass, and other natural materials. A low voltage charge is passed through the materials using a rectifier over an extended period. This new technique helped Caleb to coalesce his artistic vision and it energetically enhanced his work. Utilizing a combination of glass, crystals, copper, and organic elements became the overall basis for Liquid Fire Glass.
After the year that Caleb apprenticed with Kenan, the friends parted ways to explore life on their own. Although they kept in touch and worked together occasionally, they each continued to follow their own artistic journeys. Eventually, however, their shared passion for glasswork brought them together again.
The old friends decided to collaborate on a new idea. They set out to create a unique environment in which to learn and teach new glass techniques while showcasing the beauty of functional and non-functional, borosilicate (Pyrex) glass art. Blue Ridge Alchemy features not only the art created by Kenan and Caleb, but also other local handmade art and novelties.One of the most exciting features of Blue Ridge Alchemy is the classes. Able to accommodate up to ten students at a time, the classes will range in skill level from beginner to advanced, covering a variety of different techniques. Beyond teaching their own classes, Kenan and Caleb are looking forward to hosting other teaching events for the public, featuring talented, well-known artists from around the country.
Blue Ridge Alchemy will also host collaborative events that will feature Kenan and Caleb working in cooperation with other renowned glass artists to create collaborative bodies of work that will seem to be from out of this world! They hope these events will create more awareness for, and a better knowledge of, the styles and techniques preferred by different artisans.
Kenan and Caleb are beyond excited to bring Blue Ridge Alchemy to the Floyd community, and to share the amazing and magical craft of glass blowing with everyone who visits!

Blue Ridge Alchemy
Kenan Tiemeyer and Caleb Storm Dickman
115 Sweeney St SE, Floyd, VA • (540) 745-4904
www.facebook.com/BlueRidgeAlchemy/

Located at the intersection of Concord Road and Squirrel Spur Road, near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Meadows of Dan, Poppy’s is an inviting shop featuring an eclectic mix of items. Shoppers can find alpaca products, spinning fibers and yarn, exceptional gifts, and books. Poppy’s features a blend of whimsical and elegant, vintage and unique, designer and handmade. This store also emphasizes fair trade and American-made items, and boasts a selection of jewelry, vintage china, classic linen towels, note cards, felted mobiles, and more.
Proprietor Leslie Shelor is a native of the Meadows of Dan, nestled on the Blue Ridge plateau just over the Floyd County line. Her family has lived there for nine generations and her love for the land and the people is evident in every aspect of her life. Her day-to-day life is rich with family and community traditions such as music, art, storytelling, and crafting.
She also has roots in the Meadows’ neighboring county, Floyd. One of her ancestors migrated from Floyd County to Meadows of Dan in the 1820s, along with several other families from the Floyd area. The two counties have much in common, Leslie tells us, sharing similar terrain, lifestyles, and economic interests.
Leslie grew up in a home that had been in her family for five generations, surrounded by music and by people who were artisans by necessity. Leslie watched her grandmother sew, preserve fruits and vegetables, and share her love of books. Her grandfather could be found making banjos, guitars, and fiddles out of select woods from his own land. The house was full of music, sometimes from the radio, but most often from family and friends making music together, passing songs from generation to generation.
Surrounded by all this creativity, Leslie experimented with crocheting and other crafts. “Living here on the land where generations of kin have shaped their lives,” says Leslie, “gives me a unique perspective. I have the music, the stories, and the connection to the soil. I belong here and have a deep and abiding love and respect for all who came before me.”
After living and working outside the area for a number of years, Leslie returned to Meadows of Dan in 1990. This is when Leslie’s mother gifted Leslie her grandmother’s spinning wheel. With this wheel and some rough wool she got from a fiber producer in West Virginia, she learned to spin. During this time, Leslie also began to breed and raise German angora rabbits; a specialty breed raised for shearing so the fibers could be spun.
In 2005, Leslie and her partner, Ron Lawrence, opened a bookstore called Greenberry House, located in the same building that would one day become Poppy’s. Over the next fifteen years, Greenberry House grew, changed and adapted. It started as an antiquarian and used bookstore, but quickly branched out into a hand-spinning fiber and yarn shop.
For those who came to know Leslie through Greenberry House, the tradition lives on at Poppy’s. Poppy’s still features a selection of handspun yarns and spinning fibers. Leslie also works with a number of other spinners in the area who sell their yarns through Poppy’s. The yarns are perfect for knitting and crochet projects and, unlike harshly processed commercial wools, are next-to-the-skin soft. Shoppers may even find a few fleeces for processing along with roving or batts; great for hand spinning or felting.
Leslie, a talented and versatile artisan, spends her days spinning and dying, knitting and crocheting, creating beauty from fiber with her nimble fingers. She tends her shop, curates her books, and interacts with customers from all over. She has demonstrated hand-spinning at many area events and venues and continues to work with fibers produced by local farmers. She is also co-owner and host of the Quince podcast, with Beth Almond Ford.
The new shop, Poppy’s, is named for a German Angora rabbit. “I just like the happy sound of Poppy’s,” says Leslie, “and other people seem to like it as well. People bring me little gifts with poppies on them.”
A cheerful name is fitting for this charming fiber, gift, and yarn shop in the tiny hamlet of Meadows of Dan. Poppy’s still has a vast selection of used and fine collectible books, including fiction, children’s books, religion, and folklore, but specializing in biography and history. The quality book selection is extensive, and Leslie continues to add more titles.
Sandra Hooper of The Alpaca Home Store has created an alpaca wonderland at Poppy’s, with a room full of quality alpaca garments, socks, toys, accessories, felted soaps, hats, gloves, ponchos, and more. Along with the luxury alpaca, Poppy’s offers elegant home décor gifts, quality souvenirs, and amazing handmade items.

Poppy’s is just three minutes from Floyd County’s Mabrys Mill; one of the area’s most-visited attractions on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Leslie, along with longtime friend and experienced customer service clerk, Kristen, open the shop Thursday through Monday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. “Come on down the road a bit and visit Poppy’s in Meadows of Dan. We would love to get to know you and help you to enjoy spending time in this corner of the world I call home.”

Poppy’s • Leslie Shelor • www.modpoppys.com
10 Concord Road, Meadows of Dan, VA
Quince podcast: www.quincepodcast.com

With discount incentives to shop local, there will be more ways to support and shop Floyd County businesses this Fall and holiday season from the comfort, convenience, and safety of your own home.
ShopFloydVA.com will go live on October 1, 2020. All Floyd County businesses with e-commerce will have the option to be listed on the site by category.
Both residents and Floyd fans can visit the site to connect with all Floyd e-commerce businesses. As long as the payment is made online, this will include businesses that can ship, as well as businesses with curb-side pick-up. Some Floyd restaurants will also be participating.
The first incentive will be a discount of $10 off any purchase over $30, redeemable from any of the businesses listed on the site. This incentive will run October 1 through November 9, and will be limited to one per customer, per business.
Each business will also offer one hundred business-specific coupons in an effort to spread the support for Floyd businesses. Shoppers interested in the discounts offered by specific businesses are encouraged to visit the site early, as popular businesses may run out of their coupons quickly. Even if this happens, all businesses will remain on the site, participating in other promotions, for the rest of the shopping season.
This promotion has been structured to encourage folks to shop and get discounts with many businesses, as opposed to getting a huge discount with just one. Customers can save hundreds of dollars when they shop with many. Shop with ten businesses and save $100. Shop with twenty and save $200!
Categories are extensive and include retail shops and art galleries, artisans, farm products, music, restaurant orders with curb-side pick-up, spirits, and even gift certificates for services like body work. On-line events, both entertaining and educational, will also be included, as well as general services and non-tourism businesses with e-commerce.
Together with CARES Act funds, this is part of Floyd County’s public safety initiative to support safe shopping, and to support Floyd businesses during a very different year. The program also offers technical assistance to businesses trying to establish an e-commerce presence.
“We are hoping to provide more support for our businesses this Fall and Holiday by setting up this e-commerce option,” says Floyd Tourism Director, Pat Sharkey. “As well as support customers so they can shop safely and conveniently from home for Floyd products anytime, regardless of limited store-front shop hours or Covid-19 issues. Given the year, we will run this campaign alongside a gentler tourism visitation promotion and then have the site continue in 2021.”

www.ShopFloydVA.com • 540-239-8509
tourismdirector@floydcova.org

Donna Jones has worked as a nurse for thirty years. In all that time, she has seen hundreds of patients whose conditions have required them to wear catheters. She has also heard hundreds of complaints from those patients about how their lives have been disrupted by the device.
Wearing a catheter leg bag is uncomfortable and embarrassing for most people, especially when the bag becomes full. Patients who might otherwise maintain active lifestyles tend to stop healthy pursuits because of the chafing from the leg straps, as well as the heat rash often associated with the plastic bag resting against the skin. For many, however, the inhibition is simply a matter of not being able to wear the clothing they’re used to…the clothing they’d prefer. Close-fitting jeans or trousers don’t leave enough room for the bag. Shorts and skirts can often leave the bag exposed to the public eye.
In 2017, Donna felt compelled to address these issues so that patients would no longer have to suffer the embarrassment, the frustration, and even the loss of spirit that often accompanies having to wear catheter bags. She may not be able to redesign the catheter, but surely something could be done about how it is worn.
Donna had the problem worked out in her mind, but she had no experience as a seamstress. So, she enlisted the help of her daughter, Amy Achley, as well as Amy’s friend, Geneva Stanley to work on the project. Following the blueprint, the two young ladies were able to complete the prototype to perfection, and it was soon ready for a trial run.
For her trial, Donna selected a patient with whom she had been working as a private duty nurse. The gentleman was in his late nineties, and according to Donna, was contrary and difficult. Once she had explained the concept, however, he loved the notion and wanted to try. The idea was special apparel designed with unique pockets on the inside that would hold the catheter bag comfortably and out of sight. Upon trying the prototype, the man requested two pairs of Hide-A-Cath shorts! Though this particular patient rarely smiled, he smiled when wearing his new shorts.
He even wore them on a visit to his Urologist! The nurse at the office there suggested Donna make an appointment with the doctor as a representative of the product. She took the nurse up on that suggestion. By the end of that fateful meeting, the Urologist shook Donna’s hand and said it was an amazing concept, and that patients who wore catheters would love it.
Today, Donna Jones is the Owner and Inventor of Hide-A-Cath Apparel. With items and designs for both men and women, Hide-A-Cath allows catheter patients to wear shorts without the discomfort of the elastic bands and without the rash from the plastic bags, but most importantly, without the embarrassment of the exposed device. With the catheter bag resting firmly within the interior pocket, patients can enjoy the beach or visit family and friends with dignity and confidence.
Donna believes so strongly in her invention that she has even visited the homes of homebound patients for personal fittings. Because personalization is important, she has also visited patients to show them the colors and to take their measurements so they could order their selections with confidence.
Recently patented and trademarked, Hide-A-Cath Apparel will be available in stores starting Spring of 2021. It will also soon be featured on the shopping channel, QVC. But you don’t have to wait. Customers may call 828-788-5079 now to order their Hide-A-Cath shorts in any size! Colors available are khaki, hunter green, black, denim, multicolored, striped, or checked.

Looking forward, Donna will be expanding her apparel line to also include women’s skirts, as well as jeans for both men and women. Her full focus is on creating a product line that will include several different clothing items in all sizes, and a variety of colors, that are comfortable, affordable and fashionable.
In 2016, Donna Jones moved with her husband, Patrick, into a little cabin in the woods of Floyd County. Not only did she feel this change would allow her creative side to flow, but Floyd had also been part of her childhood. She always loved visiting her step-grandparents in Floyd and recalls thinking even as a child, “One day I want to live here.” What better place, after all, for an artist to create their visions!
In addition to inventing revolutionary medical apparel, Donna is also an artist, donating artwork to charitable organizations like Good Samaritan Hospice, American Cancer Society, and Cystic Fibrosis. But it doesn’t stop there. She is also a writer, and since moving to Floyd, has published her first book. “Lou Battles Bullies” is the first in what will be a series of three children’s books. Shoppers can purchase “Lou Battles Bullies” from any online resource, including Amazon. She felt the message in this book was needed, especially today, when more love needs to be shown to everyone.
For more information about Hide-A-Cath Apparel, contact Donna Jones at 828-788-5079 or visit www.hideacathapparel.com.

Hide-A-Cath Apparel • Donna Jones • 828-788-5079
hideacathapparel@gmail.com • www.hideacathapparel.com

Left to Right: Amber Rodgers, Mike Shelor, Tim Davis, Jill Brandstedt. Next Row: Felecia Shelor, Rain Davis, Banner Davis. Not pictured: Casey Davis

Felecia Shelor has operated Poor Farmers Market in Meadows of Dan for thirty-six years. Her daughter, Casey, grew up in the family’s country store and farmers market. Felecia and Casey both have extensive experience in business and tourism in Meadows of Dan.
Tim Davis, originally from Floyd County, left his Lewisville, North Carolina teaching position in 2013 to move closer to home. There, he met Casey and the two were married. Within a few years, Tim and Casey, along with Felecia, found a historic brick building located 2554 Jeb Stuart Highway, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The structure was empty and abandoned. It was also in a state of decline and disrepair. In 2016, the trio decided to take over the old building and preserve it. In less than two years, the trio became business partners, and on Good Friday, 2018, the Concord Corner Store opened its doors.
Situated just five minutes’ drive from Floyd County’s popular tourist spot, Mabry Mill, the new business was an immediate and incredible success! On staff at Concord Corner Store are Meadows of Dan natives Jill Brandstedt, former art teacher, and Amber Rodgers, a recent graduate from Radford University majoring in photography. There is also Denise Stirewalt from Stuart who, in addition to working part time at Concord Corner Store in merchandizing, manages WHEO radio and serves on the Patrick County Board of Supervisors.
Concord Corner Store proudly features the products of sixty-nine craftspeople, artists, potters, jewelers, woodworkers, basket makers, and quilters from the immediate locality and surrounding areas. It really is a place where the craftsmanship, art, and creativity of the entire region comes together. With their own section at Concord, “Five Lovely Ladies”, a local quilters guild, work on and sell their beautiful quilts while meeting with customers.

Visitors can also find fine pottery made by David Lunt of Stuart, as well as by Mike Gillette and Glenda McAlexander from Meadows of Dan. Rhonda Sowers from Floyd sells her handmade, early Appalachian style baskets while Penny Lane from Floyd sells unique jewelry made from tree fungus. Local ladies, Terry Turner and Lynn Boyd, also sell their jewelry. The Concord Corner Store also displays bird feeders and yard ornaments crafted from exquisite, antique glassware by Allen and Beverly Hairfield of Carrol County.
Rob Redus from Laurel Fork sells Charcuterie Boards; large wooden platters used for elaborate and elegant food displays. He crafts the boards from fine walnut and hickory. Bobby Nance from Henry County makes fine wooden items like cedar chests, toy boxes, birdhouses, and picture frames. Sue Troutman sells her fine dolls and Faye Crank from Meadows of Dan makes scrubbies by the hundreds, which she sells at a reasonable price.

These are just a few of the many local artists and craftspeople represented at Concord Corner Store. In addition to the local arts and crafts, however, Concord also carries other high-end products, like Grandmother’s Buttons jewelry. Grandmother’s Buttons is a company steeped in history and tale. It started in a small town where an industrious woman with uncommon passions built a thriving business with the help of her family. Speaking of buttons, few people on earth know more about buttons than Susan Davis, who makes her beautiful jewelry from antique, vintage, and handmade buttons.
One of the most popular products at Concord Corner Store are the Turkish lamps. The Atthila family business was founded by the mother who, according to her sons, was the artsy one in the family. The family works with craftspeople all around Turkey, encouraging them to retain their traditional practices. Each of the lamps sold at Concord Corner Store is hand-designed in a home or small shop in Turkey. The lamps are created with tiny shards of reclaimed Turkish glass, arranged in the patterns of the ancient Persian rugs.

Felecia and Timmy were out looking for natural remedies to sell in the Apothecary at Concord Corner Store when they discovered cannabidiol (CBD). Neither had heard of CBD before, but luckily found the best possible products when CBD was first becoming popular. Felecia called both the county Commonwealth Attorney and the Sheriff, wanting to affirm that the product was legal. Ultimately, the Sheriff informed Felecia that he had more important things to concern himself with than CBD.
Casey and Felecia continue to look far and wide for unique, quality, Bohemian-style clothing to offer at Concord Corner Store. Shoppers can find several lines of occasional and specialty clothing for both men and women. There is much more to mention about the products at Concord Corner Store; fine soaps, craft beer, local wine, handmade bears from London, and much more. But it would be difficult because the store is always changing. The staff are always on the lookout for new, interesting, and unique things to offer.

Concord Corner Store
Felecia Shelor, Casey Davis, and Tim Davis
2554 Jeb Stuart Highway • 276-952-3400
www.facebook.com/concordcornerstore/

The ability to adapt is an important skill for any person in a changing environment. This year has certainly called on all of us to use that skill. Everyone had to adapt to stay healthy, to generate income, and to stay connected with family, friends, and community.
16 Hands started their studio tour in Floyd over twenty years ago. They welcomed people into their studios to see where and how they did their work. Thousands of conversations have happened, and even more homemade goodies were shared within those studios over so many years. However, in the spring of 2020, it became clear that foregoing our traditional studio tour would be in the best interest of everyone’s health.
The 16 Hands crew set about adapting their annual tour to make it physically distant but still socially connected. As artisans, it was very important for 16 Hands, not only to generate sales, but to also stay in contact with their customers. They wanted to create a new way for family, friends, and others to enjoy the studio tour in 2020. The solution was 16 Hands’ first ever Virtual Studio Tour.
All members of 16 Hands created a short video highlighting their studio and their work, as well as a newly discovered creativity in the making of the videos. The videos allowed each of the makers to offer conversations and connections from previous studio tours. In addition to making videos, each member of 16 Hands either updated existing online stores or created them from scratch! And, of course, they have all been busy creating a bunch of new work!
During the buildup to the Virtual Studio Tour, there was a flurry of activity on the group’s phones, their computers, and in the studios as they learned and prepared for the event. Silvie Granatelli reflects on that time. “I’m sure missing people stopping by my studio gallery, and the many conversations that go along with those visits. I miss the 16 Hands Studio Tour, which offers a platform for customers to view my work in an environment that is festive and live. On the pandemic side of life, studio life goes on daily making pots and completing cycles of firing kilns. There are virtual sales from an online shopping site to process. Life is full but quieter. I have learned more technical language and processes than I thought possible. It’s good to keep learning, right?”
On May 2nd, after hundreds of hours of planning and preparation, the website was updated, the shops were opened, and boxes with packing material were ready to go. Visitors to 16Hands.com were then able to tour the studios from the comfort of their own home; viewing the shops and videos with a flexibility and immediacy that didn’t exist before. The virtual tour was also a great opportunity for those who had not been able to attend in the past.
“The weekend of the virtual tour was a different experience of activity,” said Wendy Wrenn Werstlein. “My studio didn’t get the deep clean it normally does. I missed making soup, cookies, and other treats for everyone stopping by the gallery. And I missed being able to talk with them about the work in my studio, and then helping them find the shortest route to the next studio.” Wendy went on to say, “There was still the shuffling of bags and boxes and paper as I started packing up orders to be mailed out on Monday and through the following week. Getting those new baby pots off to their new homes, I was deeply grateful for each new order.”
When the tour was done, the 16 Hands group asked for and received some great feedback from those who attended. The learning curve was steep. As they move forward into Fall, they will be incorporating their ideas for improvements, as well as considering the recommendations of others.
16 Hands member, Sarah McCarthy, sums up the experience. “This is a challenging time for so many of us, including those of us in the handmade world. A good part of my work involves being out in the world seeing and connecting with people, sharing stories. That can never be replicated. However, as creatives, we are being challenged to see things differently and do things differently. Artists and crafters are looking at how to connect to our audience in new ways. I never thought I would sell my work online; it seemed too impersonal, too difficult. It turns out, selling online has been very successful for me and I am learning so much. My customers, some who can only see me once a year, have a greater opportunity to see new work and to make purchases throughout the year. So many of us artists thrive on experimentation and change. I suppose it’s time to bring some of that excitement into this new reality, however long this lasts!”
16 Hands is planning another virtual studio tour in Fall of 2020. They will have guest artists, new videos, new work, and a renewed appreciation for the ability to adapt and create. They would like to express a huge thank you to all who have supported 16 Hands in the past, who are supporting them in the present, and who will continue to support them into the future. As member, Josh Copus, says, “Since the artists of 16 Hands have studios at home, we have been fortunate to be able to continue working and we have all been very productive in our studios during shelter in place. However, without a way to share our work, without people to appreciate and support the work, the artists can’t survive financially or emotionally.”
The Fall virtual studio tour for 16 Hands will begin at noon (EST) on Thanksgiving weekend, November 27th. “This year, we will enter the weekend filled with gratitude for the newfound ways we connect with and support each other.”

16 Hands Studio Tour
www.facebook.com/16HandsTour/
www.16hands.com • Instagram (@16Hands)

The Floyd County Historical Museum holds a collection of letters and papers from one of the county’s most significant figures, Dr. Calohill Stigleman, b.1833-d.1905.  This collection dates from the late 1840’s, through his death in 1905.  The majority of the collection are letters written during the late 1850’s, through the early years of the Civil War; providing wonderful glimpses into the difficulties and hard realities faced by the people of Floyd County as the Civil War descended upon the nation.
Calohill Stigleman loved Floyd County with a passion that transcended all but love of God and family.  He dedicated his life to the County:  as a physician, turning no person away from treatment, as the first Superintendent of Schools, as a leader in local politics, and as an active member of the Floyd Episcopal Church, South (now the Floyd United Methodist Church).
The collection of letters will walk readers through Stigleman’s youth, his lost love and lifelong love, through the rising tensions between Northern and Southern factions, through the secession crisis, how his father-in-law became one of his most trusted friends, through the birth of his daughter, and through health concerns for his son.  Ultimately, through these personal letters, the political and social climate in Floyd County will be revealed.

The Stigleman letters provide valuable insight into the mechanisms and events that affected Floyd County’s reaction to the secession crisis and Civil War.  In March of 1861, Calohill Stigleman stood in opposition to secession from the Union.  On April 15, 1861, however, following the April 12th bombardment of Fort Sumter, Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion.  Virginians took this announcement as a direct threat that the Army would be used to invade the state of Virginia.  The secession convention in Richmond voted on April 17, 1861 to secede from the Union.  Floyd’s representative, a staunch Unionist to that point, voted for secession.  Floyd prepared for war.  Dr. Calohill Stigleman organized the Floyd Rifleman; the first company out of the County.  They mustered in as Company A of the 24th Virginia.  Dr. Stigleman became Captain Stigleman.  He served for one year until the lack of a doctor to serve Floyd, along with health concerns, drove him to resign his commission and return home.
First and foremost, Calohill Stigleman was a physician.  His life was dedicated to the health of the citizens of this county.  He did not turn any person away for any reason, whether it was ability to pay, race, or political affiliations.  He served the County until his own failing health forced him to retire in the early 1890’s.
Stigleman loved the Union, and he loved the United States.  It was this loyalty which drove him to heal the wounds of war until his death in 1905.  He was a brilliant public speaker, calling on the nation to understand the forces and the love of home state which drove Confederate veterans to march to war.  He spoke eloquently on several occasions about the patriotism that called northern men to war and mentioned how it was the same siren song to southern men.
In 1894, he reminded veterans and citizens that the war was long over, and that the nation had united.  He talked about how the southerner was as loyal and willing to defend the nation as men and women from any other section of the country.  In a speech delivered to war veterans in the 1880’s Stigleman spoke:
“All hail a reunited country!  May the bonds of peace grow stronger as generations after generations shall go down into the tomb ere another fratricidal war shall dissolve the bonds of this Union.  The government of the United States has no more courageous and loyal friends than the people of the South, who know no fear when their flag is in peril, and all we ask as true and law-abiding citizens is that the general government extend to us the equality of rights and general privileges that are accorded citizens in other portions of the Union.”¹
The Floyd County Historical Society is excited to announce that the Letters and Papers of Dr. Calohill Stigleman are being prepared for publication.  The entire collection, including speeches he delivered late in life, will soon be available in a book, complete with essays explaining the people and events referenced within the letters.
Dr. Stigleman’s love of Virginia and Floyd County is beautifully articulated in the poetic ending of this speech, delivered in the 1880’s.

“Let nothing come between you and your love of Virginia, and now, fellow-comrades, while I look in your eyes, perhaps for the last time, I know you will join with me in this tribute to Virginia.  Virginia, thou art the land of love; land of my natal hours; every square-foot of your territory is dear to me; tis thine! tis mine! tis Virginia’s!  Thy rivers, bays, sluggish creeks and little gurgling rills and distant mountains blue, where sparkling streams of limpid waters pure come dashing down the mountain side, and madly leap from crag to crag again, then round and round, in eddies turn, then off they pour in caverns deep, an eternal roar.  Scenes of my childhood!  I love thee still.  Thy rocks on rocks in massive strata piled, all clad in moss and flowers wild.  Thy forest grand of giant trees and waiving ferns of ever green.  Thy towering peaks in laurels clad, and seem with leafy green to brush the blue vault of the skies over which their towering summit lies.  I love them, too.  The quiet hours out on the farm, the old cross roads and country store, with here and there a meeting house, where Gospel truth as freely falls as fall the forest leaves, ‘tis here the people love to congregate and grip each-others hand in friendship’s recognition, and in groups beneath the trees freely speak of things that have come to pass since last they met.  There is something good in all of this, and all is old Virginia like, and if it pleases us who hath ought to say of our way of doing.  The little humble country towns, as well as cities proud, I love them all.  The old broom-sedge field, all gullied with red, the old log-cabin with its leaning, crumbling tiers tottering to its fall, and at the old house place all overgrown with catnip and cumphrey stands the old stone chimney, silent and alone like a sentinel over the dead, I love, I love, for the long, long ago!”²

Follow the Floyd County Historical Society Facebook page for updates on the progress of the book.  We will be posting excerpts from the letters, background information, and videos pertaining to The Letters of Dr. Calohill Stigleman. 

Floyd County Historical Society
217 North Locust Steeet • 540-745-3247
www.floydhistoricalsociety.com

[1] Calohill Stigleman Collection CG0004-122a, Floyd County Historical Society.  Floyd County, Virginia.

[2] Ibid.

There are lots of things for which Floyd County is well known: the farming community, the Bluegrass music, the mountain scenery, and the alternative lifestyles. Perhaps most famously, however, Floyd County is known for being home to a vibrant arts community. At the heart of that community is the Floyd Center for the Arts, fondly called The Center. Propagating culture from a nearly eighty-year old, renovated barn with a silo painted the color of a Bartlett pear, The Center is located at 220 Parkway Lane South, just south of downtown Floyd. This year, The Center celebrates its silver anniversary.
When Floyd Center for the Arts was established a quarter century ago, it was originally called The Jacksonville Center for the Arts. This is because the barn selected for the home of The Center was called the Old Jacksonville Barn; referencing a time prior to 1896 when the town of Floyd was called Jacksonville in honor of President Andrew Jackson.
Back-to-the-landers discovered rural Floyd County in the 1970s, two decades before The Jacksonville Center was established. Many of these new residents were artists who were struck by Floyd’s natural beauty and the opportunities it offered for creativity. They were met by long-time residents who had a heritage of music and craftsmanship. It was hoped the Old Jacksonville Barn would represent this melding of artistry. Established in 1995, it took a while for The Center to focus its mission, but the vision was always one that embraced a love of Floyd and combined it with a desire bring fun and the arts together.
“We hoped to become a hub of arts activities and news to not only assist artists and artisans in the region, but also to steer tourists to studios and arts opportunities,” says Lee Chichester; one of the founders, as well as one of the main proponents for the renovation of the building. “But we also wanted to save the barn. There had been rumors that the property might be purchased by a conglomerate and a cheap hotel would be erected where the barn stands.”
Events such as the “Jacksonville Jam”, ice cream socials, and movie nights were organized during the summer months in the early years. Because it had the advantage of running water, most gatherings were held in the creamery area of the barn, now the Ceramic Studio.
Winterfest, which became an annual December event, was staged in the barn without heat. Participants remember the festivities fondly, though they usually mention how cold their fingers were.
The barn’s first tenants moved in during 1995. There were photographers, painters, jewelers, woodworkers, and fiber artists, all hoping to produce and sell their creations. Community agencies also called The Jacksonville Center home.
In addition to housing and displaying artists, the barn was sometimes rented for special events. In 1996, a fundraiser was thrown for the Floyd County High School band. It was called “The Thundering Herd Wild West Show” and featured theatrical shootouts. The first Floyd High School Art Exhibit also debuted during this time, becoming a tradition that continues today.
By 1999, a variety of exhibitions were held annually, featuring the paintings, photography, and crafts of Floyd County’s eclectic citizenry. The old barn itself, however, was in need of help.
“We, of the first guard (an informal reference to the team that founded the Art Center),” says Chichester, “thought of the barn as our greatest endeavor; an icon of the rural landscape, the visual definition of rural artistry and tradition. We elected to do what was affordable. As volunteers, we undertook nine-tenths of the deconstruction to clear the way for renovations. We had many working days when people would come with sledgehammers and pry bars to take apart the older, non-weight-bearing walls. The rest of us would carry off the debris and fill a rented dumpster.”
From 2000 to 2005, major improvements were made to the barn and adjacent buildings. Thanks to significant state and federal grants, as well as private funding, The Center renovated the barn and the site while also expanding its programs. Monies were invested in making the structure a functional facility that included amenities like accessibility for the handicapped, heating and plumbing, and the only elevator south of the town’s sole traffic light.
More major improvements to both the programs and the facilities were afoot between 2014 and 2019. With the support of several significant grants and donations, The Center paved its parking lot. It also built an additional gallery and a new, energy-efficient entry way. A quiet and efficient heating and cooling system was added to the Community Room, and LED lighting replaced the less efficient incandescent lights in the galleries.

Linda Fallon has been the nonprofit’s president since 2012. “It seemed to never fail that during a beautifully nuanced classical music performance, the heat or air conditioning would come on with a long and loud squeal. Today, The Center has a nearly silent and efficient heating and cooling system,” Fallon says proudly.
During this most recent series of improvements, the first House and Garden Tour, now in its sixth year, was organized as a fund-raising event. The Hayloft Gallery presented Rhythms of Glass, an exhibition of nationally known glass artists. This event was widely reported to have been one of the most impressive showcases ever held at The Center. The concert series, which actually began in 2007, continued to feature local, national, and international performers at least four times a year, often more.
“I tell visitors that one of my favorite things about the Arts Center is seeing it in an old barn. The mixture of farmers and artisans is a hallmark of Floyd,” says Jayn Avery, whose Blue Heron Pottery has a strong following. “Our vision was to bring attention to the unique collection in Floyd of local artists and artisans, including old timers and newcomers.”
The Jacksonville Center was renamed the Floyd Center for the Arts in 2016, after nine months of discussions among the Center’s board, staff, and stakeholders.
“Most current residents did not understand the use of the old town name for the Arts Center,” notes Jeff Liverman, the Center’s Executive Director. “We also had a number of situations where people in Jacksonville, Florida were signing up online for our classes, thinking the classes were taking place in Florida!”
Proudly displaying its new name, The Floyd Center for the Arts now offers a myriad of art classes, both juried and curated art shows, classical and jazz music concerts, the Floyd County House & Garden Tour, and the biennial Floyd Plein Air Festival which draws nationally recognized artists to the county. The Center also assists in leading major efforts like the annual Floyd Artisan Trail Tour, the weekly Floyd Artisan Market, and new this year, the Floyd Gallery Walk tour.
The most recent renovations include a new, creative design for The Center’s lobby, undertaken by Floyd glass artist, Liz Mears. There was also the addition of hardwood floors throughout the second floor, bringing the warmth of wood back to the barn. With so many improvements and upgrades since those earliest days, Executive Director Liverman is looking forward to the future. “Awareness is one of our biggest challenges. The Floyd Center for the Arts has a huge array of offerings from classes and workshops to festivals and concerts,” he points out. “We want to serve even more of our community and visitors to Floyd. We have faced many challenges over the last twenty-five years and emerged stronger for it.”
“The arts strengthen our community, lift our spirits and build a better quality of life that attracts new business and residents,” says Linda Fallon. She points out that the town of Floyd has a population of fewer than five hundred, with just under sixteen-thousand living in the County. Yet, in any given week, visitors to The Center’s colorful barn might view a juried art show in the Hayloft Gallery, or hear Opera Roanoke present an evening of “Puccini and His World.”
“The Center had planned to invite the community to celebrate our 25th anniversary,” Fallon continues, “but the Coronavirus intervened. We have a lot of accomplishments over the last quarter-century to be proud of, and we look forward to presenting more exciting art, classes, programs, and music. No matter what one’s age or interest, for twenty-five years, The Center has had something to offer all. It is a jewel, and one that I am proud to be associated with.”
Floyd residents and the Art Center are waiting anxiously to reopen the old barn safely. While there will not be Silver Anniversary festivities, the Floyd Center for the Arts’ board, staff, and energetic volunteers believe they have a proud legacy to celebrate. For more information, or to make a donation, go to www.FloydArtCenter.org, or call 540-745-2784.
The Floyd Center for the Arts is funded through donations, grants, art sales, and the events it holds. The Center has dedicated staff and volunteers.

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The Floyd Center for the Arts seeks to showcase, support, and facilitate artistic endeavors and rural creativity throughout Southwest Virginia. Located in a historic dairy barn in Floyd, Virginia, The Center pursues its mission through year-round educational opportunities, housing resident studio artists, mounting rotating exhibits that feature local and regional artists and artisans, and more.

Floyd Center for the Arts
www.FloydArtCenter.org • www.facebook.com/FloydArts/
220 Parkway Ln S • Floyd, VA 24091 • 540-745-2784

by Roni Sutton

Originally from Kansas City, Christina Alba fell in love with Floyd County when looking for places in Southwest Virginia to move with her family. “I love the people here,” says Christina. “Floyd is a great community.” She went on to explain how Floyd not only became home to her family, but also to her practice.
While researching educational options in the area, Christina discovered Blue Mountain School. With its progressive, holistic approach to education, she knew it would be a great fit for her son who has increased socio-emotional needs. With the school being a significant consideration, Christina moved to Floyd two years ago with her two youngest children.
When winter arrived that year, Christina discovered that her plans to buy an established Chiropractic Care office in Christiansburg would make it difficult for her to retrieve her children from early school dismissals in the event of inclement weather, a frequent event in Floyd. As a single mother and solo practitioner, she didn’t have the luxury of cancelling appointments on short notice. She had to make a business decision that would provide her a better work/life balance; a balance she feels is essential for single parent families.
Consequently, she made the decision to open a family-centered chiropractic office in Floyd. On February 1 of 2019, she saw her first patient in a small, basement office below the Montessori school on West Main Street. Just a year later, in April of 2020, she upgraded and moved her office, Manifesting Wellness Family Chiropractic, to its current location at 613 East Main Street, next to Floyd Xpress Market.
Dr. Christina Alba has an immense passion serving families. While presently trained in the Webster prenatal technique, pediatric adjusting, and cranial adjusting, she continually expands on her mission for family wellness. She recently enrolled in a course on Post-Partum Care for Chiropractors, and in September will be attending a workshop for pregnancy and birth professionals by Spinning Babies™.
For spinal adjusting, Dr. Alba prefers Advanced Biostructural Correction™ (ABC) which is quite different from traditional chiropractic manipulation. ABC provides structural and postural correction which in turn relieves stress and tension on the body. Immediate benefits from one session include better and easier breathing, improved posture, and less muscular and fascial stress.
Dr. Alba is one of only two ABC practitioners in the area. Rather than a patient lying face down on a table, ABC patients stand against the wall while the doctor does the manipulation. The adjustment is a lower-velocity manipulation than that of traditional, manual chiropractic techniques. The treatment does not involve any turning or cracking of the neck. This makes a lot of patients much more comfortable getting the treatment.
Unlike the lengthy sessions some patients might experience in other chiropractic offices, Dr. Alba routinely needs only twenty to thirty minutes during each visit to perform the needed treatment. New patients, however, receive approximately two hours of her undivided attention.
“I make sure I take the time to get to know my patients,” says Dr. Alba. “They are like my family. I take their care very seriously.” So seriously, in fact, that visitors may notice there are no additional staff in her office. Dr. Alba does all the scheduling and all the patient communication, as well as all the billing and follow-up, herself. Her office also has complimentary coffee and tea available, along with a filtered water drinking station. Patients may serve themselves from a charming antique coffee bar in the back of the office. “I want my patients to feel at home here, and it’s important for them to stay hydrated.”
Dr. Alba also provides several other services. Through brain-based care and Neurosensory integration work, she helps autistic patients, ADD/ADHD patients, and those with Sensory Processing Disorder. An expert in Functional Genetic Nutrition, she uses a patient’s own genetics to determine the best course of nutrition supplements for their individual body. This can result in dramatic improvements to a patient’s overall health, as well as for some chronic health conditions.
While not in the office, Dr. Alba serves the Floyd community by being actively involved in several community organizations. She is the Treasurer of the Floyd Friends of Asylum Seekers, which is a Floyd-based, non-profit organization that provides assistance to local asylum seekers. She is also the President of Floyd PFLAG, a pro-diversity group which provides the local LGBT community with acceptance and support. This organization also holds a PRIDE event every September.
Prior to the pandemic, her office also hosted the local Le Leche League meetings and will do so again once it is declared safe to resume in-person meetings. The Le Leche League is a support group for breastfeeding mothers. Dr. Alba makes the office space at Manifesting Wellness available as a meeting space for organizations whose values are consistent with those of her office and its service to the Floyd.

Visit www.manifestingwellness.com for a comprehensive explanation of the services and fees.
Manifesting Wellness • Dr. Christina Alba • 540-328-5058
www.manifestingwellness.com • 613 E Main St, Floyd VA

The historic building located at 113 East Main Street in downtown Floyd was originally built in 1897 to house Floyd’s very first bank, the Bank of Floyd. In the late 1920’s however, it became a restaurant, and a restaurant it has remained until the present day. Not the same restaurant, of course. A few proprietors have come and gone over the last hundred years. The only thing that has remained the same is the bank vault that sits quietly, remembering the beginning.
Since the 1980’s, this location was home to the famous Blue Ridge Café. Like all its predecessors, however, the Blue Ridge Café has stepped aside, leaving the classic building empty once again…waiting to begin a new chapter.
But it didn’t have to wait long. Kristin Spangler Crawford and her husband, Travis Crawford, recently purchased the old building. “It’s all happening so quickly,” says Travis, referring to how little time has passed since the purchase, and how little time remains till the projected opening date in October.
The decision regarding the name of the new restaurant was not an easy one for the couple. They have shared the dream of owning an eatery in Floyd for years. Of course, they had already thought of names to reflect the vision they held, but when suddenly presented with the opportunity to fill such iconic restaurant shoes, their thinking changed.
Travis and Kristin are both graduates of Floyd County High School. They grew up knowing what anyone meant when they spoke of eating at the Blue Ridge, and so they saw no reason to interfere with tradition. They decided to simply add the word Diner to the two words that were already engrained in the minds, and appetites, of the locals.
The Crawfords are not new to the food industry. They first met nearly two decades ago while working together at Tuggle’s Gap Restaurant in Floyd County. Their paths temporarily diverged, however, when Kristin left that job for one at Chateau Morrisette.
A few years later, Travis offered Kristin a job at one of the two restaurants he had purchased in the interim. It wasn’t long after Kristin started working with Travis in Radford that the two became a couple. Within the next year, however, tragedy struck when the block where Travis rented the building was razed. Although Travis had been verbally promised a place in the rebuild, that promise was ne. ver fulfilled.
It was then that the couple turned their full attention to Joe’s Diner in downtown Blacksburg. Travis had worked at the diner for both previous owners, then purchased the business when the opportunity arose.
According to Travis, Joe’s had flourished over the past dozen years, with ever-increasing sales. “That is, up until Covid.”
Due to the decision to close the Virginia Tech campus, as well as being affected by mandated virus protocols for restaurants, Joe’s Diner shut down completely in March of 2020. When conditions allowed, they re-opened for take-out only, and have since gradually increased their open days and hours.
When Kristin was asked why Joe’s Diner’s was so successful, she replied that the key is in the service. “Our food is good, but what makes us stand out is our service. The staff works as a unit, and we pride ourselves on working together to make the dining experience a good one. We’re friendly and treat our customers like family. Well, maybe better than family.” Kristin chuckles at this comment as two of her siblings already work at the Blacksburg diner and will also work at the new one. Since the new venture with Blue Ridge Diner will bring the couple’s talents back to their hometown, it will likely include additional members of the family. The Crawfords are adamant about applying all they have learned about service to their new business in Floyd.
When Kristin was asked about the menu to be served at the new location, she replied, “Breakfast is our passion!” Starting at seven in the morning, hungry customers can enjoy a full selection of breakfast comfort foods. Along with eggs any-way-you-want-them, patrons can mix and match from a full variety of breakfast meats, home fries, and biscuits – with or without gravy. Blue Ridge Diner will also offer pancakes, waffles, sandwich biscuits, and breakfast burritos.
Having a daughter getting ready to celebrate her second birthday, the Crawfords also understand the needs of their youngest patrons. Blue Ridge Diner will also offer a sure-to-please kids menu. “If the kids are happy, the entire table is happy,” says Travis. “It’s something our staff knows and understands.”
While enjoying all the great food and top-notch service, visitors to the Blue Ridge Diner will also surely appreciate their surroundings. To decorate the dining room, Kristin and Travis are planning to obtain photographs that will represent Floyd throughout time.
This entrepreneurial couple are stepping forward in faith that the food industry will survive this pandemic. Not ruling out a change in menu or hours later on, the Crawfords hope to begin operation with limited hours by the end of October; offering curbside service and whatever limited dine-in experience is permitted by the state at that time. Initially, the diner will be open from 7:00am until 2:00pm, with the selected days of the week being announced closer to the opening date.
“Although we understand the current local demand for dinner opportunities,” says Kristen, “we will be doing what we do best, for now, and that’s breakfast.”
Travis sums it up nicely. “We’re excited about doing what we love while serving our friends and neighbors in the community we love.”
“In the place we grew up,” adds Kristin. “I can’t wait to have regulars!”

Blue Ridge Diner • Kristin & Travis Crawford
113 E Main St., Floyd, VA 24091
Blueridgediner@gmail.com