Departments

Bob Cowell, smiling man in glasses and dark suit with plaid tie, seated before a red booth.

In A Position of Strength

City Manager Bob Cowell has big ideas for Roanoke’s future and hopes for a positive impact on citizens’ lives.
A hand holds a black-and-white vintage photo of a shopping strip over the same street today.

Then & Now: Towers Shopping Center

The 56-year-old strip center, unique in the valley when it opened in 1961, has remained a strong location for local, regional and national retail.
Collage showing a blue bakery with BAKERY and CAFE signs, a decor corner with fall flowers, and caramel tarts.

Fresh Baked Goods Await

Grandin Village welcomes Willow Pond Bakery to the neighborhood.
Doloris Vest: “When I walked in here, so much fell into place.”

New Bookstore Coming to Town

Book No Further opens at 16 West Marketplace in downtown Roanoke.
Black-and-white view of attendants servicing cars at the Peters Creek Esso Servicenter, under a "Change to the Best" banner.

Streets of Roanoke: Peters Creek Road

Long an important link between the Hollins area and northwest city, the roadway was extended to Brandon Avenue in 1996.
John Park, food evangelist, is excited about the booming food scene in Roanoke and the exposure it brings to the region.

Upping the Local Food Game

John Park, aka Hungry Asian, loves learning the stories behind restaurants and their food.
Headline reading "34 (OK, 35) Random Notes from The Roanoker" above four Roanoker magazine covers.

34 – OK, 35 – Random Notes from The Roanoker

Editor Kurt Rheinheimer reflects on three and a half decades of our magazine with some of his favorite pieces and quotes.
A hand holds a vintage black-and-white photo of a crowd outside the Grandin Theatre over the same street today.

Then & Now: The Grandin Theatre

Times were happy in 1946, when people flocked to see movies on the big screen.
A three-story red brick building with a sign reading "Dumas Center" over its entrance, flanked by trees.

TAP Sells Dumas

Preservation is paramount.
Overhead view of a two-story brick café with glowing globe pendant lights, black tables, leather armchairs, and polished hardwood floors.

A Chocolate Experience

Described as a lounge, Altus Chocolate invites customers to come for the chocolate and stay for the learning experience.

Departments

Four-panel collage of downtown apartment interiors: unfinished room, empty living room, bathroom, and white kitchen.
Features

On the Rise

The renovations to create new living spaces continue unabated.

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