Farmville’s A Great Escape Spalon, a rural full-service spa, is far removed from an urban big box store. That’s the transition Bridget Flannagan made when she moved to Farmville to take the job of business manager.

“This was my first foray into a small business environment,” she says.…

Piedmont Habitat’s ReStore offers the ultimate in recycling. The Farmville store “recycles” unwanted items into cash that in turn builds decent and affordable homes for local families in need.

ReStore Manager Sara Beachum described the process.

“We clean and sanitize donated items and make sure they function,” she explains.…

Business is growing in more ways than one at Gavin’s House of Flowers in South Hill.

After a year of pandemic challenges, owner Gavin Honeycutt has added hope to his business plan. For that, he credits the Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC).…

Springtime blossoms accent a display of LorenLuxe skin care products developed by Jessica Hill and arranged on a table on her front porch in Warfield. Launched in March 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, Hill’s business, like her floral backdrop, has blossomed.…

Richard Reed launched Reed Electrical Solutions at the onset of the pandemic in January 2020. Despite the COVID crisis, his business is thriving.

“My wife and I put together a business plan,” Reed says. “We knew there was a demand for skilled trades.”…

Charles and Mary Walker started Ma’s Cakes four years ago in their kitchen. Thanks to the River District Association’s Dream Launch program and the Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC), they’ll soon have a brick and mortar location in downtown Danville.…

Amy Venable, owner of Genesis Learning Center, believes learning never stops. She’s built a thriving daycare system on that premise.

“I started working for Genesis, a church-operated daycare, when I was 21,” she says. “The principal saw something in me and encouraged me to go back to school.”…

DeShanta Hairston, owner of Books and Crannies in Uptown Martinsville, knows all about books, but when it comes to running a business, she relies on the Longwood Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to fill in the “crannies.”

Hairston recalls her first visit to SBDC’s business analyst Michael Scales.…

Shelia Reavis, controller for the Family YMCA of Emporia-Greensville, discovered the Crater Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Longwood University while looking for information on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. She considers it her lucky day.

“I sent out a generic email to the Crater SBDC to ask about applying for PPP loans,” Reavis says.…