The Cottage Gate is a lovely boutique gift shop located in the Westlake Town Center in Hardy,…read moreVirginia. I happened to be in the parking lot of this shopping center parking my pearl white Lexus when I saw many soap bubbles flying in the air. Naturally I went looking to see who was holding the bubble wand that was making these enormous amounts of bubbles at a time. I followed the bubbles and they led me to a bird house which seemed to have a motor inside that was producing these bubbles and this bird house was located in front of one of the most beautiful and one-of-a-kind boutique gift shop that I have ever seen. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I was also awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants, businesses, and important landmarks, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And The Cottage Gate located in the WestlakeTown Center in Hardy, Virginia is a perfect example. Inside, I was welcomed by Jennifer Davis, the Director of Operations of the gift shop, a friendly, very elegant, and distinguish-looking lady with a wonderful personality. She graciously introduced herself and explained how this gift shop had been open for over 20 years and that the name of the owner was Lisa Settle. Later on I researched and found out that around three years ago the original owners Twila and Allen Tolley were planning to close the beloved shop or sell it and Lisa and Stan Settle purchased it in order to keep it alive. Lisa had owned a similar retail boutique in Northern Virginia about a decade ago before moving to Smith Mountain Lake, so she was delighted to take over the helm of this well loved shop by the community and visitors to the Smith Mountain Lake area alike. Even though I didn't get to meet the new owner on this occasion, her passion for the shop was present in the air. Her plan to continue the legacy of the original owners but make it her own was quite evident. Some of Lisa's wonderful ideas that have already been implemented and I was able to observe the results has been organizing the merchandise of the shop by categories such as: clothing, jewelry, home decor, gourmet foods, toys, games, unique gifts, seasonal items, and Smith Mountain Lake souvenirs; and placing these in their individual areas within the shop. Another of her great ideas for the future is expanding the Shop's hours of operation. That way they would get the traffic from the moviegoers of the Westlake Cinema next door, before and after showtime, as well of from the Pizza Shop near by, at the same time that it makes it convenient for the community to visit the gift shop. I invite you to view my photographs and video accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their merchandise, at very reasonable prices, and then go give them a visit. I can assure you their extraordinary customer service will not only win you over as a customer but also as a friend.

We were just in this store and there was 3 women working and not one of them even acknowledged us…read more I was not impressed with the hospitality!!

Woodshed is a new shop in downtown Roanoke that specializes in Appalachian crafts and coffee,…read morelocated at 409 S. Jefferson Street. Formerly known as Crafteria, the business has rebranded and moved to a new, larger location next to the Mast General Store, offering a modern Appalachian cafe and handmade goods. After being awarded the Yelp NC Triad Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. Woodshed: Appalachian Crafts & Coffee Cafe, in Downtown Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. Today, as I was leaving Jack's Men's Fine Grooming, after getting a haircut, I happened to notice this new shop across the street, that workers had just finished installing it's name building sign. I couldn't help but quickly crossing the street to find out if it was already open or when would it be. Inside, a friendly and very kind gentleman by the name of Jacob, greeted and welcomed me to this new establishment that had just opened today. He explained how they featured locally-made crafts and items sourced from the Appalachian region. He explained how the Cafe had still yet to open, but encouraged me to take my time and walk around to see the diverse array of handmade goods with particular strong showing in pottery, jewelry, woodworks, and various forms of home decor. Common types of products that I was able to find included: pottery and ceramics, jewelry, textiles and fiber arts, woodwork and home decor, bath and body products, specialty foods and treats, artwork and prints, and books and paper goods. This place will also include a modern Appalachian cafe serving breakfast and lunch seven days a week, slated to open very soon in early 2026. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing merchandise, and then go bye and visit. I'm sure you'll find one-of-a-kind items to take home with you and some to give out as gifts to those special people in your life during the Holiday Season.

On my way back from having had breakfast at the Greenwood Family Restaurant in Troutville,…read moreVirginia, which was established in 1952 and is about 15 miles north of Roanoke, I happened to pass by the Troutville Grocery & Goods store. A charming hometown marketplace that has been family-owned and operated since 1935 and has been passed down through generations. In 2016 it experienced some hardships but the community played a significant role in saving and revitalizing the grocery store. Local residents, businesses, and churches donated time, labor, and money to help keep the fourth-generation business from closing. Today the store is very clean and organized and offers a variety of fresh meats, fruits, seasonal items, and baked goods. They also sell photography and handmade goods on-site. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality items they sell. Besides essential items like bread, milk, and eggs, they also sell decorative items made out of wood, framed photographs, and beautiful handmade quilts. I particularly like one of Virginia Tech featuring the HokieBird. I highly recommend you give the place a visit and your total support. In this day and age it is rare to find these kinds of stores, but when one does they should be cherished as something very special.

I am never disappointed when I visit Main Street Primitives. Connie and her staff are fantastic and…read morealways have very helpful providing me with excellent advice and suggestions. I never leave there disappointed and always leave with something beautiful and new for our home

I can't believe I haven't discovered this place sooner. It feels more like a mercantile than an…read moreantique store, and to me that's a good thing! We stopped in the week before Christmas and the store was filled to the brim with seasonal selections. Prices were very affordable compared to other similar local stores. Connie at the front was very kind and I look forward to becoming a regular!

When I was growing up, I loved sports and enjoyed collecting Sports memorabilia. But at that time,…read moreit was not easy to find them. And when I did, it was a moment of great joy. Today, as I was walking up East Main Street, I happened to notice a store that when I was younger would have been like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. After being awarded the Yelp NC Triad Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Sports Haven / Collectibles & Memorabilia, in Salem, Virginia, is a perfect example. I remember when I was a teenager and Saltwater Sport Fishing with my father in his Concord 27 small yacht on December 31st, 1972, off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. At a young age, I had won several fishing tournaments catching a 403 pound Blue Marlin on one occasion, and a 97 pound Male Fish Dolphin, also known as Mahi Mahi on another. But this day was very memorable to me, because the plane where Roberto Clemente was traveling in on a humanitarian mission to deliver emergency relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, crashed in this same area. He was killed instantly in the crash and his body was never recovered. We participated in the recovery. Since that day on, Robero Clemente's rookie card value increased immensely. Not only because he played his entire 18-year Major League Baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming a franchise icon and one of the greatest players of all time, but because of his deep commitment to helping others through his humanitarian work off the field, which led to his death. I gave this above example so you can see how the value of collectibles and morabilia is determined. When I entered the Sports Haven shop, the staff member at the time greeted me and welcomed me to look around. I wouldn't have space to list everything I saw, but I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the great variety and quality of merchandise. Since I moved to Roanoke, I have been a fan of the Virginia Tech Football Team and its mascot, the Hokie Bird. So I asked him if he had a figurine of him and he showed me one. It was nice but a bit large. The one I had at home was a more appropriate size. I had to go, but am planning to return another day to view more in detail all the valuable items they have in stock. And I highly recommend that you do the same and support this locally owned and operated small business.

This is a fun, cute little shop where, as the name implies, everything you see is $5 or less. At…read morefirst glance it's mostly things that seem to appeal most to girls, but there were actually quite a few things I found interesting and tempting enough to buy ($1 pencil pouch anyone?). The music is...mostly teen-y dance/pop, and there's a whole corner of things for school kids, like backpacks (yes, $5 or below!), pens, rulers, and more. The shop is basically devided into 8 small sections: Candy, Party, Tech, Crafts, Sports, Room, Style, and Now. The "Candy" section is interesting if only because they have a decent selection of Japanese snacks. The ladies at checkout were peppy and friendly, and I have a feeling I'll be back...for that pencil pouch for school!

I was very impressed with the selection. The staff was friendly also. The layout is awesome and had…read moreno problems finding anything I was interested in. I was, however, put off that this company is trying to collect email addresses at checkout. I understand the reasoning from a business perspective, but when they ask "Can I get your email address?", I couldn't help but to think "Why don't you just come out and say that your company would like to send regular ads to my inbox?". Back to a positive note, the store was nice and clean also. I didn't see any public restrooms though. They do have bottled drinks and snacks.

Wow! This is the coolest antique store that I visited while in the Christiansburg area. It might…read moreeven be one of my top 10 antique stores of all time. And that's saying a lot, because your girl has been to a lot of antique stores and has seen a lotta old stuff. Cambria Station Antiques is also a bookstore. You'll notice that it's a book store almost immediately upon walking in, because there's a huge archway that's made out of hundreds, maybe thousands of books. The cutest part is that two of the books actually pull out and have treasure in them (candy), but you have to feel around to find them. Hint: They are located at a child's eye-level. There are cozy chairs and nooks to sit in and read, too. Mostly, though, this is an antique store. It's three floors of wall-to-wall vendors selling everything from home decor to knickknacks to vintage clothing to art to jewelry. I got a really cool ring here, to commemorate my visit to the neatest little shop in this part of Virginia. The prices are extremely fair, as well. Sometimes, vintage and antique stores can jack up their prices, but I found a lot of good deals at Cambria.

Located in the old General Store building, which has been tastefully renovated, outside of the…read morehistoric Cambria train depot in southwest Virginia, Cambria Station Antiques and Old New River Books fill up three stories with vintage treasures. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Cambria Station Antiques in Christiansburg, Virginia, is the perfect example. Both my friend and I love finding and exploring Antique stores of all kinds in all places. I lived most of my life in the New England area, so I have a background of visiting some of the best Antique shops and Auction houses around. So it was of no surprise that after we finished dining at Lost in Taste Sports Bar in Christianberg, Virginia, we searched to see if there were any interesting Antiques shops around. And by following the GPS of my friend's cellphone, we ended up here. What impressed me the most of this Antiques shop is that it's located in a building from the early 1900's, yet the building has been completely cleaned and renovated to maintain its charm yet at the same time display quality Antiques in an organized manner, all in nice condition. From antique rugs, to handmade furniture, to antique books, to vintage records, to jewelry and accessories, this place has something everyone. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and plan a day to go visit the place. You might find that lost treasure that you always wanted or just for the experience itself, it's worth the trip.

There are times when one finds these unique, little, local, businesses, that one had been walking…read moreby all the time, never bothering to stop to discover what's inside. And one day, for one reason or another, one desides to stop and go inside. This precisely is what happened to me with Artsy June. One day I was walking along the sidewalk of Market Street in Downtown Roanoke. I saw this interesting little store front. Read this verse that was written on a standing blackboard: "People will throw stones at you. Don't throw them back. Collect them all and build an empire." After reading this my curiosity kicked in and I proceeded to enter the store. The first thing I saw was a restored and renovated jukebox playing songs in the background. Then after looking around I deduced that this was a very special Gift Shop, that sold all kinds of artistic and very creative gifts, as well as Second Hand Vintage Clothing and Items at very reasonable prices. Among the items they had for sale, they had original miniature watercolor paintings signed by the local artist, small signs with inspirational sayings, some original and very creative pottery, souvenirs of Roanoke, an antique typewriter, nice wooden objects such as Chest boards, coffee mugs with saying on them, glass items, home decoration items, cushsions, some furniture, umbrellas, and second hand vintage clothes and items. What also was interesting about the store was that the dressing room was made in the inside of what once was a refrigerator room. A young lady employee greeted and welcomed me and explained all about the shop to me. She was also the artist of the miniature watercolor paintings. What a great little local shop. Just browsing all the items there was a delight. I would highly recommend those reading this review accompanied by my photographs to definitely go visit. And those artistic inclined individuals who might have they would like to sell to take them for the owner to see. Maybe she could include them among the store stock. Who knows, this could be the beginning of your artistic career!

Loved shopping in the store, so much fun and quirky items to choose from. I will be back.read more