Last spring marked the beginning of a new family-run business just a few miles outside of Floyd. Crooked Mountain, a primitive campground, flower farm, and store. The owners, Brian and Christy Corbett, are somewhat new to Floyd, but not to the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Brian, originally from Roanoke, joined the Army out of high school and at his first duty station, met Christy, a native of Oklahoma. They were married in January of 1998 and began their journey of living all over the world during his 23 year career.
Along with their two children, they returned to the Roanoke area when Brian retired from the Army in 2019. Just over two years ago they stumbled across the property on Shooting Creek Road and knew that they had found something special. Not long after acquiring the property, people started noticing a lot of activity as they began working towards building their business.
“The most common question we would get is ‘what have you guys been doing over there?’” said Christy. “Our answer was always the same – come on over and see!” Before turning their attention to developing part of the property into a business, the couple first focused on renovating the 120 year old farmhouse. They felt that the property had so much potential given its features and location, being a quarter mile off of the Blue Ridge Parkway and directly on the Crooked Road Historic Music Trail; but they were not yet sure how to make the most of it. While adjusting from military life, they took time to think back to their years relocating with the Army and their travels. Some of their favorite memories involved their adventures on motorcycles and camping. Often, while in the military, Brian would take a week off work, set out on his motorcycle, and tent camp along the Blue Ridge Mountains. He has ridden the entire Blue Ridge Parkway over ten times and thought that there just weren’t enough places to tent camp. The idea to build a primitive campground designed for motorcyclists was then born.
The owners especially appreciated the small, unique spots where they camped, and are attempting to create a one-of-a-kind place with that in mind. Though the original plan was to cater to motorcyclists, they received so many requests from car campers and bicyclists that they decided to open it up to all tent campers. They still consider themselves “motorcycle friendly” because it is a personal passion. They have more plans toward building on that idea in the future. They can accommodate cars, trucks, and vans; however, they do not allow RVs or travel trailers due to their desire to reduce the impact on the land.
The campground, which is open from mid-March until mid-November, features six, private creek-side sites plus a large area for open field camping that is perfect for stargazing. There is also a one mile hiking/nature trail on the property for camping guests to enjoy. Their store carries a variety of camping and travel essentials for their guests; snacks and drinks, souvenir clothing, and a selection of artisan items made by local vendors, including Christy’s paintings on locally milled wooden planks are all available.
When Christy imagined life after the military, all she knew is that she wanted to “make things pretty.” With the goal of providing something different to the Floyd area, they decided to use their five acre fenced in crop field as a “Pick Your Own” flower venue. While planning the flower fields, Christy often wondered if she’d even be able to get anything to grow, and then wondered if anyone would show up. So, they decided to start small with just a few varieties of flowers. Much to the pleasure of Corbett’s, the flowers did grow, and people did show up.
The way the “Pick Your Own” experience works is visitors can choose a size of container from the store and then stroll through the flower fields to cut their favorite blooms and create their own unique bouquet. Customers can cut as many flowers as they can fit into their pre-purchased containers. The fields are generally open from July to September, but specific dates and hours will be posted on their website and social media pages.
Many of the visitors have made a point to mention that spending time in the field and engaging in the simple activity of picking flowers has brought them such joy. They may have been having a rough day, but after just a short time in the fields, their whole day and mood have changed. Given the positive reactions received, there are plans to add more plants and varieties of flowers for the 2024 season.
Even though Crooked Mountain has only been open for a year, word of mouth has spread quickly. Brian and Christy have been amazed by the positive feedback and warm welcome they have received from the Floyd community. They want to thank the people and organizations of Floyd that have supported their new business venture, especially the Floyd Economic Development office, Floyd Tourism, and the Small Business Development Center in Roanoke. Crooked Mountain was the first-place winner of the Floyd County C4 business competition in 2022. The contest’s grant allowed them to finish construction of the store and to add a covered porch where visitors can hang out with a cup of coffee, listen to music, and enjoy the view of the flower fields. The owners have plans to host events, and are even spending the winter constructing space for regular events.
As locals and guests stop by the store to chat, The Corbetts have enjoyed hearing stories and learning more about the history of their farm. They encourage anyone who has ties to or information about the farm to stop by to share their stories.
Christy & Brian Corbett • 540-541-9734 www.crookedmtn.com • www.facebook.com/CrookedMtn.VA 1378 Shooting Creek Road SE, Floyd