Appalachian Rising Ventures

09/03/2026

I just found this video today that Roaming Appalachia appears to have filmed in our downtown of Appalachia, VA back in July. You can see our two work trucks parked on the side of the road while we are inside doig our work. 😂 I actually think they did a pretty good job telling the story of our town. Check it out and let us know if you have anything to add to the story.

08/05/2026

Y’all, mark your calendars for this town wide yard sale!

Appalachia Main Street is planning a town wide yard sale, Saturday September 5th from 8-5.
The spots are on a first come basis. The spots to set up will be from the entrance into town on the Big Stone Gap end to the parking lot across from the old high school. This will cover all of East and West Main Street. Everyone will have to have permission to set up on any property in town. If you’re setting up on private property, the permission will have to be with the property owner. The town of Appalachia will not charge a set up fee at this first event to see how things go. There may be a small fee if we continue this event.
It will be up to property owners to determine if they will charge a set up fee. Call 276-393-2991 for info.

The town of Appalachia will not be responsible for the actions of those who participate or the products that are sold.

05/29/2026

Covered up under years of additions and modifications, the original transom of this building’s original rear exterior door was hidden. John has been hard at work taking it back to the original features, returning the footprint to the 1920s construction, and the transformation is both exciting and amazing!

New video content coming soon! We promise! We have been learning some new technology to bring regular updates back to our socials.

05/16/2026

A wonderful chance to learn about a legendary Appalachian woman, Elizabeth “Toddy” Collins.

Discover the story of a remarkable woman who changed lives in the Appalachian coal camps.

Join Park Interpreter Aidan Wells at 2:00 PM during the Gathering in the Gap Music Festival on May 23 for a special program on the Southwest Virginia Museum's exhibit, “Toddy Collins: The Angel of Happy Hollow.”

Through photographs and personal artifacts, explore the life of Elizabeth “Toddy” Collins, a midwife and community caregiver who arrived in Appalachia, Virginia, in 1906 and devoted her life to serving others. Though she faced resistance in her early years, Toddy became a beloved figure in the community, earning the title “The Angel of Happy Hollow.”

Participants should meet at the Southwest Virginia Museum to join this fascinating look at the life and legacy of one of the coal camps’ most compassionate caretakers.

05/15/2026

WHO REMEMBERS THIS TILE? (first photo)
And where do you remember seeing it??
We now know more about the history of ceramic tiles than I ever expected to. 😂

We have a knock off of this specific tile in a project we are wrapping up. (Fingers crossed y'all, because every time we think we are wrapping this particular project up, John finds a new issue that needed a fixin' and as of yesterday! 🤞🙏)

This first tile is a 1960s Romany "Spice Green" wall tile. Probably spice because its got little flecks in it, if you look close. Romany tiles were a prominent line of ceramic tiles produced by the United States Quarry Tile Company (USQTCO) and later the United States Ceramic Tile Company (USCTCO) in Canton, Ohio (ironically, where my paternal grandparents moved to when they left coal country and my Grandpa went to work for US Steel).

Romany tiles were peaking in popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s, known for their durable, glossy, and vibrant, colorful, and sometimes beveled, finishes, these tiles were staples for residential, commercial, and institutional applications.

This (second photo) is the bathroom we are currently working to remodel. The previous owner of this property probably had this bathroom remodel done in the early 1980s, according to family. But plastic wall tile was used that were produced as early as 1950 as an alternative to ceramic, commonly referred to as polystyrene tiles or by brand names like Stylette, Tilecrest, and Wilson. These tiles were popular for mimicking the glossy, marbleized, and pastel look of Romany ceramic tiles, but at a much lower cost.

Fifty years later, much of the glue used to affix the tiles to the walls has yellowed with age and became brittle. While working on the floor in this same bathroom to repair some extensive water damage, it became apparent we would either have to reglue all the plastic tiles, or maybe upgrade t if we wanted to keep the same look but have a longer lasting material. (I'll blame our floor tile guy, because he made the floor look so good the walls started sticking out.)

We chose to upgrade to something that would be durable for the next life this bathroom will see, but we wanted to keep the same vintage design and vibe the previous owner had.

Well, that’s an easier and cheaper task said than done. While some of the Romany tiles are still available from vintage tile dealers, using vintage tile would increase the cost about 10 times. So, we had to go on a quest to find a mid-century modern tile that was similar, because no one currently makes an exact replica of Spice Green, and having any made specifically for the project was also quite pricey.

So, we found a good deal on some discontinued tile made in the same color wheel as mid-century modern tiles, and I cannot wait to reveal the amazing results of this remodel and what our plans are.
(I am so in love with this whole project and almost wanna live there myself!)

05/08/2026

What is John tearing up now to uncover the past? New updates coming to our channels!