New owners – Annie Armistead and Abby Reczek

Troika Contemporary Crafts in Downtown Floyd is happy to announce new owners!  As of January, Abby Reczek and Annie Armistead took ownership of the iconic gallery which has been a part of the lifeblood in downtown Floyd for nearly ten years.  When Susan Icove recently told Abby Reczek she was looking for new owners for Troika, Abby didn’t hesitate. She knew that she wanted to step in.

When The Station was newly renovated in 2009, Silvie Granatelli, Susan Icove, and Gibby Waitzkin agreed to rent a small space for opening a “fine” crafts gallery.  They named it Troika, after a type of horse-drawn Russian vehicle that featured three horses harnessed together. The three women created the gallery as a vehicle to showcase their vision; a kaleidoscope of exquisite crafts.
Left to right: Gibby Waitzkin, Silvie Granatelli and Susan Icove, who started the gallery ten years ago.

All three of the founding Troika ladies are professional craft artists.  Susan is an upcycle lighting designer, Silvie is a potter, and Gibby is a photographer, paper-maker, and sculptor.  They started out showing their own work while also holding shows for other craftspeople in the community.
In 2011, however, a large and airy corner at the front of the building became available; directly across from the renowned Floyd Country Store. Troika expanded, taking up residence behind the big windows facing Locust Street.  In the new space, the Troika ladies were able to grow their inventory to represent the creations of over fifty craftspeople.  They had space for local, regional, and national artists who did everything from pottery, to woodworking and glassblowing, to fiber art and jewelry.
As time went on, the original three partners would meet annually to decide if they were up for running the gallery for another year.  Last summer, they decided that the lure of having more time for family and travel had finally tipped the balance.  That’s where Abby came in.
While working as Silvie’s studio assistant, Abby Reczek had been filling in as Troika’s part time manager since moving to Floyd in 2013.  After an initial conversation with Susan Icove, Abby went to her friend and fellow artist, Annie Armistead, to see if she would be interested in becoming her business partner. Annie had decades of experience as the previous owner of Millie’s; a boutique in Salem, Virginia.  She’d also been working for Troika over the years and knew the shop well.  Annie is largely responsible for the artistic, eye-catching displays guests to Troika have enjoyed for so long.
Abby and Annie plan to bring their own vision to the gallery.  First, they added their own work to the shelves.  Annie is a jeweler who crafts unique, wearable art inspired by nature, as well as by her southwestern Virginia heritage. Her work incorporates sculptural forms molded in precious metal clay, often finished with gemstones, to create one-of-a-kind pieces of fine silver jewelry.
Along with Annie, Abby is thrilled to be showing her work at the gallery.  She makes functional pottery inspired by Floyd’s rolling green hills, blue skies, and the subtler colors of the natural world.  She hopes that customers will share her appreciation of natural wonder through the touch and feel of her pottery.
In addition to bringing their own work to Troika, Abby and Annie plan to have a featured artist each month, along with a reception.  They kicked off 2019 with an opening show; “Mud and Metal” which focused on Annie and Abby’s work.  It was a roaring success.  The gallery overflowed with local patrons and friends.
Keep your eyes open for more featured artisans over the coming months.  Most of the showcased artists in 2019 will either be Floyd residents, or those whose roots run deep here in Floyd.  Also, make a date with yourself to check out the new Troika artscape.  You’ll discover the work of new artists, along with a wider variety of items; including bath products and greeting cards.  The new owners have reimagined this arts destination as a place that offers a wide range of craftsmanship that is both fine and affordable.  The selection will be designed to appeal to your taste and your budget.
Help Troika keep you updated on gallery news and events by stopping by and signing up for the mailing list.

Troika Contemporary Crafts Gallery
203 S. Locust Street Floyd, Virginia
www.troikacrafts.com • (540) 745-8764
www.facebook.com/troikacrafts

It’s been fifteen years since John and Kelli Higgs opened the doors at T & E Small Engine. It was an adventure that began when someone suggested pursuing the “American Dream”. John had been a foundry worker for a long time. When he was laid off, however, he was faced with the dilemma of how to support his family. Since John was good at small engine work, and since Floyd County needed a small engine repair shop, a family member suggested he open one of his own.

Thanks to a small family loan, the Higgses built a service shop at their home. John was the repair man while Kelli did the shop’s bookkeeping in addition to her regular job. T & E Small Engine was born.
With an ever-increasing demand for repairs, business was good.  So good, in fact, that it soon became evident that new equipment sales would also become part of T & E. John and Kelli turned to the manufacturing lines of Robin, Snapper, Jonsered, and Dixon for an inventory of trimmers, mowers, chainsaws, and zero turns.
With the addition of new equipment sales, however, came the need to expand.  John and Kelli built a showroom to display the new inventory and the business continued to grow.  In 2008, the Higgses added the full line of Husqvarna Lawn and Garden equipment.

This decision led to a huge surge in growth, and in the winter of 2009, T & E Small Engine found a building to rent on the main road outside of town.  After the move, Kelli and son Anthony joined John as full-time employees of T & E Small Engine.
Over the next few years, the business continued to grow, with several transformations taking place.  Different product lines and services were added or discontinued, such as the 2013 addition of the Yanmar America tractor brand.  In 2015, after realizing the need for a tractor dealership in Floyd, T & E switched from Yanmar America to Mahindra; the number one selling tractor in the world. The Mahindra brand offered a wider selection of horsepower, as well as a broader selection of implements, and so the switch brought even more growth potential for T & E.
With the expansion of the tractor line and the increase in service work, the small building they’d rented was no longer large enough.  It was then that John began the search for T & E Small Engine’s new and permanent home.
John and Kelli Higgs purchased a little over five acres from Floyd County.  The plot is located just off the main road in the Industrial Park, and after a long eighteen months, T & E’s new six-thousand square foot building stood at the heart of it.  The new location at 199 Appalachian Road, NE, features a full display show room, parts room, service shop, restrooms, break room, and offices. The remaining land also provided room for a complete, outdoor display-lot, as well as a place for equipment storage.

The new location was officially opened on May 1, 2016, with a grand opening following a few weeks later. With this latest stage of business growth came the need for more employees.  The Higgses were able to hire full and part time mechanics, a full-time office assistant, and a delivery driver.  The Higgs’ son, Anthony, filled the delivery driver position while his wife, Sasha, took on the role of office assistant. The family works daily, side by side, running the business. The expectation is that one day, Anthony and Sasha will continue running T & E Small Engine when John and Kelli retire. What started as just a suggestion has turned into a bustling, family owned and operated business.
T & E Small Engine now offers the full equipment lines of Mahindra Tractors, Husqvarna, Massimo, and several others. They also offer parts and service for most outdoor power equipment, tractors, sports utility, and more. Pickup and delivery are offered along with many other services. Growth continues as the need arises to serve the community and surrounding areas. T & E Small Engine: stop in and see them today.

T & E Small Engine • 540-745-8383
199 Appalachian Road, Floyd, VA 24091
www.tesmallengine.com
www.facebook.com/tesmallengine

By Inge Terrill

Back in 1975, a summer-camp dream became a reality in Copper Hill, Virginia. With ninety-six mountain acres, an old dairy barn, an apple shed, a log cabin, and over two hundred and fifty standard-sized apple trees, Peter Lewis began creating what would become a summer camp retreat that focused on connecting inner-city youth to the beauty and tranquility of nature in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1978, Apple Ridge Farm became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the intention of matching dreams to deeds, with adults taking on the responsibility of helping youths to succeed in life. Fast forward to 2019. In forty years, Apple Ridge has helped over 70,000 children through its summer camp and afterschool programs, environmental education field trips, and outdoor adventure programs. The facility has gone from a small, rustic summer camp to a world-class Education and Retreat Center with twelve buildings, five miles of hiking trails, a sports complex, a swimming pool, low and high ropes courses, lodging, a bed and breakfast, a wedding venue, and much more! Apple Ridge Farm is best known for its academic summer camp programs. These are free to underserved youth ages six to sixteen, from both the Roanoke Valley and Floyd county. The summer camps offer well-rounded programs which merge outdoor activities like team-building, climbing tower and zipline, tennis, swimming, hiking, environmental education, and organic gardening with other, more traditional learning opportunities like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs.
Art and music are also part of the mix. However, this is not a typical summer camp. Three years ago, for a more hands-on learning approach, Apple Ridge added a focus on project-based education which incorporated social emotional learning techniques to help address the whole child. Blending all these components together helps make the summer camp programs at Apple Ridge Farm well rounded and comprehensive, often having life-changing impacts on the youth who attend.

In 2016, when Peter Lewis’ son, John, became the new Executive Director at Apple Ridge, the organization began a new period of transformation. John had grown up in both Floyd and Roanoke counties, then spent fourteen years in Richmond. While he was there, he became the Founder and Director of an urban agricultural education, nonprofit organization called Renew Richmond. With his background as a Prevention Specialist, Qualified Mental Health Professional, and agriculture enthusiast, John brought new ideas and programs to Apple Ridge.

With John’s inspiration at the helm, a new agricultural education initiative called “Apple Ridge Farm Grows!” began to give children the opportunity to raise produce then sell it at a farmer’s market while also learning about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. This initiative includes The WELL Market – Working Eating Living Learning: a “Healthy Food, Healthier Communities” program. It also includes community garden work at George Washington Carver Garden in Northwest Roanoke, as well as the Star City Food Systems (SCFS) Coalition: a newly established Healthy Community Action Team. In addition to the new programs, there have also been recent physical additions to the Copper Hill facility.

There is the new Caboose Car Bed & Breakfast, which takes reservations through the Airbnb website. There is also EBase USA–Blue Ridge: an off-grid, high-tech classroom powered solely by solar panels and a wind turbine. Here, students learn about climate change and sustainability.

And finally, there is the beautiful new, timber-frame, Spangler Pavilion where weddings and concerts take place. After all these years and changes, however, children are still at the heart of everything that Apple Ridge Farm does, and its mission is still going strong: to transform the lives of underserved children and families through engagement in unparalleled educational, cultural, and outdoor experiences.

Whether you come to Apple Ridge Farm to have your wedding, to spend a romantic get-away night in one of the new Caboose Cars, to have a corporate retreat, to do a team challenge program with your soccer team, to take a ride on the 600-foot zip line, to walk along the five miles of hiking trails, or even just to listen to a bluegrass concert, all of the proceeds raised go toward keeping the summer camp free for underserved youth.

“We are proud of our accomplishments,” says John Lewis. “We feel very fortunate that we have been able to grow as a non-profit organization and expand our offerings across the New River and Roanoke Valley areas over the past forty years, thanks to our supporters.”

Apple Ridge Farm
facebook.com/appleridgefarmva
appleridge.org • 540-982-1322
John R. F. Lewis – Executive Director
Inge Terrill – Program Coordinator