Floyd Country Store serves country cooking and music 

Whether you are traveling on Virginia 8 or U.S. 221, it is indeed a crooked road, with many interesting stops along the way. On the same block of Locust Street as Woolly Jumper Yarns and the Floyd Barber Shop sits the colorful and entertaining Floyd Country Store. Jackie and Woody Crenshaw have kept the 100-year-old tradition of the country store alive while providing good food, a venue for local musicians, and a cornucopia of items for sale.

Before entering the store, you may greet a number of friendly people usually lingering outside (There is actually a sign that allows lingering.) Most of these folks are eating ice cream and reading the calendar of music events to come.

Upon entering the store, barrels of penny candy greet you. Looking to the left, you see glass cases filled with pastries and homemade salads.

On a busy day, hungry customers may have to stand in line to order from the menu boards mounted above the counter. After a short wait, diners pick up their food and find their own table near the front windows or in front of the stage located in the rear of the store. Our dining companions easily selected their choices, down-home pinto beans served with a slice of skillet baked cornbread ($4.75) and the quiche of the day ($6.95). Upon request, the pinto beans can be served with diced onions. Although a little too soupy for our companion, the beans were tender and had nice flavor imparted by ham hocks or streaked meat. The skillet cornbread was savory and a real treat — if you don’t care for sweet cornbread, this is the cornbread for you. It was crispy on the top and bottom and, when crumbled into the beans, made for a hearty bowl of homestyle cooking.

The quiche of the day was made with spinach, tomato and mushrooms. It sat beautifully on the plate, along with an incredibly fresh side salad ($2.95). The green and red of the spinach and tomatoes helped to create a colorful dish that tasted as good as it looked.

Sitting in one of the glass cases was a spectacular-looking locally baked apple pie. tWe were looking forward to biting into a slice, but when we were given a piece on a plate ($3.50) that was wrapped in plastic, we found that the crust had turned soggy. The filling was everything we expected — tender apple slices permeated with cinnamon and other spices — but the promise of a flaky, rich crust was not fulfilled.

A highlight for some diners might be the selection of craft bottled soft drinks and old favorites seldom seen, such as RC Cola and Cheerwine.

When we visited the Floyd Country Store, we were entertained by local musicians while we ate our meal. For that reason and others, it is worth the drive down the crooked road to experience what Floyd has to offer. The Floyd Country Store is a worthwhile stop — and be sure to order the cornbread.he sauce, which was thick, sweet and spicyseemed a bit pricey at $6.25 since it did not come with anything

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