Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2020 - 66

GUEST COLUMN

By DYLAN LOCKE

'Holding Space'

at The Floyd Country Store
Dylan Locke has been producing music, performing arts and educational outreach
programs for the last 30 years. He is the co-owner of the 100-year-old Floyd Country
Store in Floyd, Virginia, along with his wife, Heather Krantz. Locke also serves as
executive director of Floyd Creative Studios, a nonprofit that operates the Handmade
Music School, dedicated to teaching traditional music and dance of the region. He also owns County Sales Records Store, the world's
largest selection of old time and bluegrass music, serving music lovers since 1965. Both the Floyd Country Store and County Sales are
major venues on Virginia's Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail.

oday, there are few places that can provide nostalgic memories like that of the old-fashioned
general store. People have fond memories of family shopping trips, penny candies and time spent
around the pot-belly stove in
the winter, or of sitting on
the store porch in the summer. Along with other small town focal points, such as the school, church,
and courthouse, the country store
was the life-blood of the community.
Not many old country stores continue to play the role of a community gathering place. This realization
makes us reflect on the importance of
a place like The Floyd Country Store
in Floyd, Virginia. The Floyd Country
Store, and more specifically the building it inhabits, has been anchored
in downtown Floyd since the early
1900s. It took on another role in the
early 1980s, when it was known as
Cockram's General Store: a place for
the community to gather, play music and dance. In 2019, we celebrate
the 35th anniversary of this tradition,
which came to be known as The Friday Night Jamboree.
As owners of The Floyd Country Store and dedicated
neighbors, we value the importance of The Floyd Country
Store as a space that serves our community. We think a lot
about the idea of holding space. To hold space for another
person is to welcome them in, listen to them and understand their perspectives. We strive to practice empathy
and compassion and accept people, even if their opinions
differ from our own. Similarly, we think of providing a

BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

wonderfully warm place where people from our community and visitors from all around the world come together
and enjoy the music, dance, tell their stories and enjoy
being together. It is unassuming. It is human-ness at it's
best. It's simple and genuine, wonderful and refreshing.
In a time where the "mom and
pop" grocery store has been overtaken
by Dollar Generals and Family Dollars, The Floyd Country Store stands
proud in a community that is brave
and clever enough to adapt to declining manufacturing jobs. Floyd builds
on its values of farming and craftmanship and thrives upon a "creative
economy." The Floyd Country Store
has been a constant in the old and
current-day Floyd.
Spending the past five years at The
Floyd Country Store has helped my
wife and me understand the power of
community gathering spaces-venues
that hold a special place in the hearts
of the local community. It reminds us
of a simpler time, when people came
together to play music or dance, talk
about their family or things of interest. There is a sincerity
and nurturing quality that makes people feel cared for and
important. Where they meet old friends and new friends
and have fond memories of loved ones gone who also
spent their time here.
In a world where things aren't made to last anymore,
the lasting power of The Floyd Country Store is a sign of
why "holding this space" for our community is important. Come join us!

To hold space
for another
person is to
welcome them
in, listen to
them and
understand
their
perspectives.

http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2020