A new business has set up shop in Buchanan just in time for the seasonal influx of tourists that flock to the town every spring and summer to take advantage of all that the James River has to offer.
June Morris fulfilled her life-long dream of opening a business in her hometown on April 9 when she officially welcomed the public to the James River Drip. “Life is too short. I thought I should follow my dream before I get too old,” she jokes.
Following the launch of the business, she was able to quit the job she had been in for the past 17 years at Optical Cable Corporation in Hollins.
The grab-and-go style eatery, which is located on Main Street, serves everything from pizza to chili cheese fries to fried bologna biscuits.
“The first couple of weeks have been great. We can’t keep up,” she reports.
The journey of making her dream into a reality was long and hard for Morris. She decided to enroll in The Gauntlet Business Program and Competition in 2020 in the hopes that she would exit the program with a strong business plan. “The Gauntlet was very helpful. I got to meet people I otherwise wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t joined it,” she says. “It led me in the right direction.”
Ultimately, she received a gold level award package that included $10,000 in cash and a copy of a book specifically for entrepreneurs. The cash prize was a Community Business Launch Grant from the town that was funded through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
She used the cash prize to help buy the building that now houses the business. After she purchased the 1940s building, she worked with her husband, who co-owns the business with her, and her son to completely remodel it.
In order to staff the business, Morris has hired six employees.
“The whole community has been so supportive. Buchanan is my hometown. It means a lot to me,” Morris says. She adds that she hopes businesses will continue to move into the vacant buildings along Main Street in the town.
The eatery is open from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
About the Author:
Aila Boyd is an educator and journalist who resides in Roanoke. She holds an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University.
