NARROWS, Va. – Giles County is known as Virginia’s Mountain Playground, and nestled between those mountains is the town of Narrows.
“Narrows has been a spot where there’s been energy and been things,” said Cora Gnegy, the Giles County tourism director.
Once a thriving town, Narrows has needed help for years.
In 2024, help arrived when Narrows received grants to fix the facades of the buildings downtown and another to bring in an outdoor recreation business.
Fast forward to 2025, and after flooding from Helene in the fall and a brutal winter, that business has closed, leaving the town to start from the bottom again.
“There’s just been quite a few extenuating things that can compound other issues,” said Gnegy
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She said while the weather has made it difficult, they are still working to give life to the old town.
“Leadership in Narrows, and Giles as well, are wanting to make sure we are doing everything we can to get to where we want to be,” Gnegy said.
At a local florist shop, co-owner Carly Pavan-Ballard said while they haven’t been on the street long, they know how much potential is in the town that has yet to be tapped into.
“It’s just a cute little quaint town that a lot of people pass on 460 and don’t even think about stopping in and seeing it, but there is so much charm to it,” Pavan-Ballard said.
She said she would love to see this small downtown full of people and businesses.
“I know just for us, like, we’ve only been open for a few weeks and every single day somebody is stopping in here and just is so excited to see there is something, there is life on the street,” Pavan-Ballard said.
Town leaders promise they’re working to draw in more businesses to the area.