Prince Edward County, Virginia

PR INCE EDWARD COUNTY , V I RGINI A of Farmville. “What’s exciting about downtown Farmville is that is an accredited Main Street Community,” says Chelsey White, Director of Economic Development and Tourism. “In terms of historic preservation and downtown revitalization, we are all proud to have that designation.” The downtown core boasts over 100 retail and service-oriented businesses including Green Front Furniture’s flagship store. This fabulous retail campus encompasses 900,000 square feet of showroom and 12 buildings with an inventory of rugs, furniture, and accessories from around the world at wholesale prices. These exceptional buildings were painstakingly converted from tobacco warehouses. Stanley adds, “Farmville is equidistant between Lynchburg to the west, Charlottesville to the north, and Richmond to the east. With our great mix of culinary and cultural experiences, we have a lot to offer retirees and also younger local workforce, including Longwood University, Hampden Sydney College, and Southside Virginia Community College. Other resources are the Virginia Cooperative Extension, Prince Edward County Visitor Center, Commonwealth Regional Council, Farmville-Prince Edward Library, the Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Farmville Downtown Partnership. Prince Edward County has a growing community of small-scale manufacturers with a robust, established ecosystem. The County also operates its own cannery and commercial kitchen that is jointly managed with Virginia Food Works. Citizens from throughout the region utilize the cannery to process value-added food products for commercial resale. The cannery is an excellent resource for a small-scale manufacturing program and for attracting those types of businesses. Small business is alive and thriving in the Town