ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – A community is only as strong as its local small businesses. Roanoke County just so happens to have quite a few good ones.
The Roanoke County Economic Development staff promoted National Small Business Week 2026 within the county and partnered up with Basil’s Farm Market & Gifts and the Greater Roanoke Small Business Development Center to highlight local small businesses.
“Small businesses are really the fabric of Roanoke County and all locality is across the country,” Alex Jones, Assistant Director of Economic Development at Roanoke County. “So these are your neighbors, the small businesses that are the glue that hold your community together.”
Owner Whitney Scott has been running Basil’s since 2023.
They’ve got everything that a farmer’s market does, and by sourcing all of their goods locally, they are supporting local farmers and local agriculture.
“We’ve got some great farmers markets in the area, but for people having one day a week sometimes isn’t enough,” Scott said. “So being able to have it in one place is really important.”
Ry’s Pies ‘N Cobblers was also in attendance.
Based out of the Lynchburg Community Market, Owner Delilah White bases her pies off of her grandma’s 99-year-old recipe, with everything is made out of scratch.
“We’re doing really unique things, holding down legacies and trying to make sure that what our families, our grandmothers, our mothers did is still preserved to this day to be able to share with our community members,” White said.