Flu Season No More at Red Hill General Store

Have a cold? Come to Red Hill General Store for immune boosting Elderberry Extract and Yoder's Good Health Recipe! Load your body with the micro-nutrients it needs to get healthy and stay healthy. Have you tried our kombucha tea? Kombucha tea is available in three flavors to promote good health.

We have two new product lines this fall from Floyd! Try red rooster coffee roasted in Floyd, Virgina. These are MUST SIP brews this cold weather season. We carry four different varieties [Night Owl, Funky Chicken, 4&20 and Floyd Farmhouse Blend] $11.99 for a 12 oz. bag.

We have a new environmental hygiene care line from Thistle Hill Botanicals! Finally, natural deodorants that actually work!  Tired old foot soak, coffee body scrub, tooth fairy dental powder, and conditioning beard oil (subtle patchouli scent) make great gifts for friends and family keeping themselves and the planet healthy.

This is our wonderful display in the Virginia Welcome center. Thanks to megaprint for making our vinyl banner and posting about it on your blog. 

Our web development team just finished redesigning bell-outlet.com. Check it out here for Christmas bells, goat bells, dinner bells, craft bells, wedding bells and other bells for any occasion or decoration.

Here's to saying safe and warm this holiday season! Special thanks to our customers and the relationships we build to make a vibrant community possible. 

Oak City Coffee Roasters: Fueling Body and Soul

In a little garage in Raleigh NC, Bill Landahl is roasting coffee with a special ingredient--love. From the farms to your morning cup, every step of this process has heart.

Oak City’s eight varieties of coffee are hand picked and processed in small communities across the world. Favorite varieties like Kabum! from Uganda or Valiente from El Salvador foster a direct relationship from farmer to consumer. Bill pays these coffee farmers two to three dollars above the market value of coffee. Bill says, "If you care, that is the difference."





Roasting is the chemical process of bringing out light, medium, and dark flavors to suit our tastes. Bill roasts his coffee beans in a vintage machine that fills the space and near-by noses with deep comforting aromas.  Through his business, Bill is also including adults with autism in the operations. These special adults are employed to apply all the labels on the finished product.

The warm brew in your hands is more than a product or purchase. It is a compassionate investment in the cultivation of community.

Oak City Roasters is a leader in creating sustainable global coffee systems.

Bill explains, when you grow, and the path you started on no longer fits, you don't give up on your dreams, you live them.

            

Get your bag of roasted beans at Red Hill General Store in Raleigh, North Carolina! and visit the oak city website.  

Summer 2015 Movies: Cancelled

Thank you all for your continuing commitment to our community.
Unfortunately, we can no longer provide our free Friday night movies.

We are part of a community of people who pride themselves on small-town values and virtues.

We are dedicated to cultivating our community.
This is a space we can begin to develop for us, collectively -

 

Please comment with your ideas for how to use this space. 

Red Hill General Store's 2014 Drive-in Movie Schedule

Get excited: THE 2014 FRIDAY NIGHT DRIVE-IN MOVIE SCHEDULE IS HERE. FREE admission. Every Friday in June and July. Showtime is 9 pm. Help our movies go big (so don't stay home)! We fill our parking lot on a first-come first-serve basis. There's always plenty of room for lawn chairs and blankets up front.

Santa at Red Hill General Store

Have your Christmas List ready for Santa?

Santa will be at Red Hill General Store 

with his sleigh pulled by six miniature horses

6 - 8 pm at Red Hill Hillsville on December 14, 2013 &

4-6 pm at Red Hill Raleigh on December 11, 2013

Hillsville, Virginia Store Information Page

Raleigh, North Carolina Store Information Page

Planting a garden? Installing a Woodstove? Living off the land? We can help. 

Learn about Stove Pipe for Woodstoves here. Do you know how often to change your Kerosene Heater Wick? Learn how. 

Your place for trusted products hand-picked with standards we've learned over time promoting greater pride in our workmanship and healthy everyday living for all. As a small business our service is meaningful and we're small enough to guarantee efficient service, quality goods and trust we once demanded from product suppliers in this country.

Red Hill Breezy 5.5 Wind Turbine turned one year old on July 1st

Hard to believe that it has already been a year since we installed the Breezy 5.5 Wind Turbine on the cattle farm of Gary Horton. This past year has definitely been filled with trials and achievements regarding the Breezy.

Carroll County Residents watch as the locally built Red Hill Breezy 5.5 KW Wind Turbine lifts to the sky in Summer 2010.

In honor of the Breezy’s first birthday we are trying out some new nine foot blades in replacement of the ten foot originals. We believe that the shorter blades will increase efficiency and provide more power.

When the Breezy made it's debut last summer, it was a great celebration that we hope our community will not forget anytime soon. Together with over 50 excited members of the surrounding community we turned Gary Horton's Fancy Gap farm into a great American celebration of energy independence. To celebrate we had galvanized tubs filled with old fashioned glass bottle sodas and ice; we hung balloons, streamers, and more than one cowbell, in a red, white, and blue fashion along the farm’s fence. We wanted this event to be something remembered. 

We had many people stop by our store in Hillsville, VA this past winter asking what had happened to the 10ft blades on the Breezy. You might remember our Facebook post:

Sometime before 9 am on Saturday morning Feb. 19 the main shaft on the wind turbine broke sending the blades to the ground. It was really cranking out the power. The shaft is two inch solid steel shaft t...hat connects to the blades and then the shaft is reduced to one and one half inches connecting to the motor. The point where the shaft is reduced is where the failure occurred. Sunday the turbine was pulled down to repair the problem. We have been wanting to test 9 foot blades instead of the 10 foot. The 9 foot would allow the same tip speed ratio (TSR) as the 10 ft but in less wind. We think this would be a good time to give them a test run.

So now the 9 ft blades are up and we are hoping that they do as well as we are expecting. 

Whirligigs, Glass Jars, and Scholarships, Oh My!

As those of you who have been following our blog know, yesterday was the last day to submit an entry to the Red Hill General Store Scholarship. So now the task falls to us to judge the entries, and I will be the first to admit that this task will not be an easy one. We have had so many great and talented people submit blogs for the scholarship that it is going to be very difficult to decide who will win. Wish us luck on this endeavor!

Now onto Whirligigs and Glass Jars.

We have seen an increase in sales in our whirligigs and glass jars lately. Everyone is getting their yards and homes ready for spring and summer. We are so glad to see some sunny weather. The tornadoes and storms of last week were frightening and devastating in so many places. It is hard to believe how rough it truly was after being outside today and hearing the birds sing and feeling the breeze cool my skin from the warmth of the sun. Hopefully the worst of the storms is over with and our communities can focus on healing after the devastation that hit them.

Keurig Products are now available

We are excited to tell you that we are now offering the Keurig Premium Coffee Systems, along with their accessories, and a variety of K-cups.The Keurig Brewing Systems that we offer are:

• Keurig B70 Platinum Brewing System - a full spectrum of features and impeccable styling.
• Keurig B60 Special Edition Brewing - smart styling meets a range of brew features.
• Keurig B40 Elite Brewing System - simplicity and ease meet the perfect cup of coffee.
• Keurig B31 Mini Plus Brewing System - Small in size, big on variety, ease, and convenience.

The accessories for your Keurig Brewing System that we offer include:

• Keurig K-Cup Carousel - holds 27 K-Cup® portion packs with a Lazy Susan base. 
• Keurig K-Cup Carousel Tower - holds up to 30 K-Cup® portion packs with a Lazy Susan base.
• One All Reusable Single Serve Coffee Filter System - use your own gourmet ground coffee.

And of course we offer 19 varieties of the K-Cup portion packs.

Changes to Web Site

We have made some changes to how our Web site looks and functions.  We think it works more smoothly.  But  it is still a work in progress.  Stop by and see what we've changed:

Valentine's Menu

We are ready here for that big day, the big day of LOVE.  Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and we have everything you need to be prepared!

Luv is definitely in the air.  And here is what we have to offer you:

Red Hill General Store's Valentine's Menu:   

Just Friends Package: 
1/2 lb of Nancy's Fudge
Stuffed Animal
Total Price: $10.00


Nuts About You Package:
Dr. Pepper 
1 lb. of peanuts
Remington Jerky
Jack Link's Jerky
Total Price: $10.00


Cupcake Cutie Package:
Heart Cupcake Papers
Valentine's Sprinkles
2 Cupcake Bake & Stores
Total Price: $10.00


Cookie Lover Package:
Large Heart Cookie Cutter
Small Heart Cookie Cutter
Valentine's Sprinkles
8 Piece Icing Set
Total Price: $15.00


Honey Bee Package:
1 lb. of Jelly Bellys
1/2 lb of Bit-O-Honey Candy
Burt's Bees Hand Salve
Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer
Total Price $15.00

Tiny Sweetheart Package:
4 pieces of Classic Candy
Stuffed Animal
Total Price: $15.00


Wine & Dine Package:
Bottle of Mayberry Cider
Package of Ashe Co. Cheese
A Scented Candle
2 Wine Goblets
Total Price: $20.00


Date Night Package:
2 Bottles of Boylan's Soda
2 Packaged Candies
1 Dining Pass (Coupons for restaurants)
Total Price: $20.00


Warm Romance Package:
Women's Columbia Tobogan or Men's Columbia Gloves
1/2 lb of Jelly Bellys
Total Price: $20.00


Smooth Sweetie Package:
Faith Mountain Goat Milk Lotion
Faith Mountain Gator Cream
Faith Mountain Goat Milk Soap
Fingernail Clippers
Total Price: $25.00


Happy Hokie Package:
1/2 lb of Hokie Mix Jelly Bellys
Key Chain
Car Magnet
Women's VT Trackster or Men's VT Polo
Total Price: $50.00


*All products while supplies last*

Second Checker Tournament Results

Seven people turned out for our second checker tournament of this month. The stakes were set a little higher and the competition was all in fun.

The battle was between friends and siblings.  Which ensured gentle verbal prodding to try to confuse the opponent into making a wrong move.  It finally came down to two friends battling it out during the last game to see who would be declared champion.

Erin and Trisha were equally matched it seemed, and they both were quiet in concentration during the deciding match.  But as with all games, this too came to an end.

Trisha happily claimed the winnings despite some of the pouting amongst her friends.

Congratulations Trisha for being Red Hill General Store's 2nd Checker Tournament's Champion!

Red Hill General Store Scholarship

Here at Red Hill General Store we feel that writing is one of the most important skills that one can possess, so we are offering a Scholarship to help further the education of a potential writer. 

Wind Turbine Update and New Things on Facebook

We have an audio update from Tom Largen on the status of the Wind Turbine!

Also on our Facebook page we have several events and challenges that we would love for you to participate in.

There is the Facebook Photo Challenge (you must have liked our Facebook page in order to participate) The prize for winning this challenge is a Breezy 5.5 T-Shirt.  Go to our Facebook Page in order to find out all the details.

Also in our store this Friday (1/14/2011) we are having our first Checker Tournament.  It begins at 6:00 pm and will end at 8:00 pm.  Beat the winter blues with a good game of checkers. Come out for a double elimination checker tournament. Bring a friend! Entry fee is only $3.00. Half the entry fees will be given to the winner of the tournament.

So be sure to Like us on Facebook, you never know what challenges, events, sales, and more that you might find there!

New Store Hours for Winter

Winter Store Hours: Mon-Thurs we will now close at 6:00PM. 

We're still open from 8AM to 8PM on Friday and Saturday and from 1:00 to 5:00 PM on Sunday.

New Things are Coming

The office was bustling this morning with people getting their ideas, papers, and themselves ready for our meeting.  We have big plans for the upcoming year, and we want to keep our customers and readers informed as well as involved in some of these plans.  Here are the top things that were on our discussion table this morning:

1. We discussed the revamping of Red Hill General Store's website, as well as some of our sister sites, and what direction we would like to take with them while staying true to our original goals with these sites.
2. Sales, events, specials.  We talked about what sales, specials, and events that would be possible for us to do this coming year.  We definitely have some ideas going for some of these, and will keep you informed.  
3. Blogs.  We discussed our blog, and the two blogs we have for two of our sister sites, and what direction we want to take with them and what our readers may or may not want to see.  We are hoping to do more with videos, how-to articles, product reviews and more on our blogs this coming year.
4. Local info & events.  We know that many people are curious about our main location.  Hillsville, VA and we want to share information with our customers about what our area is about, and what there is to do in Hillsville.  So we are going to try to stay on top of events and other happenings in our area that you, our customer, might be interested in knowing about.  

To stay updated on these things, and the many other things we discussed today, you can follow our blog, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.  

We Just Couldn't Do It...

By now most of you have taken down your Christmas Tree and some of you are in the process or getting ready to take it down, and put away all those wonderful Christmas decorations.  But we just couldn't do it, the tree looks so pretty and green (it's artificial so it'll stay green for quite some time).  We decided to upcycle our tree into a cozy winter scene:

We have our scene complete with a sled, cardinals, faux snow, and a fauxman (snowman).  But this is only one way a tree can be upcycled/recycled.  There are tons of things you can do with your REAL tree once the decorations are off of it other than have it hauled off to the landfill. (These ideas are not intended for artificial trees)

If there is a lot of snow where you are, consider using your tree to make a bird habitat, once all the decorations, tinsel, etc., is off of your tree, haul it out to your backyard and securely stake it so that it is standing.  Then you can "decorate" the tree by hanging strings of popcorn, fruit, veggie slices, or suet holders.  This provides birds a place to rest with plenty of food nearby, which I'm sure they'll appreciate when there is snow on the ground and they cannot get to their natural feeding spots.  Karma points all around for this one, recycling and helping out mother nature!

Do you have flower beds that will need mulch come spring? (Ah, spring you seem so far away.)  Then you can use a wood chipper and turn your tree into mulch that will help out your flowers.  Hmmm...you already paid for the tree, why not do this and save yourself a little extra cash later this year?

Also you can always trim off those branches to dry out and use for kindling your wood stove.  If the weather goes back to what it was just a couple've weeks ago then this use would definitely come in handy this winter.

Did you upcycle/recycle your tree?  If so what did you do with it?  We are always hungry for more ideas on how to keep things out of the landfills!

New Starts this New Year

We've been getting a few things done at Red Hill General Store already this year, one of those things being starting blogs for two of our Sister Sites.  We are very excited to introduce these blogs to you and to get them up and running.  We would love feedback on them about what direction YOU would like to see these two blogs take.  So click the links below and leave us some comments so that we can make these blogs about what our customer/reader wants. 

Blog Mentions

We noticed that we've had a blogger writing about us, and we just wanted to send them a thank you for supporting Red Hill General Store.


Sunny Morning Farm mentioned us in their Beans, Beans...... blog, they blogged about our Tiffin Set The Classic Portable Food Carrier.  Check it out and see what they think of this great item!  (They also have great photos of the item!)  Thanks Sunny Morning Farm!

Photo by Sunny Morning Farm

 If you have blogged about us, or know of a blog that has mentioned us, please let us know!  Just leave the blog address in our comments!

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2011!

The New Year is Fast Upon us!

Time for people to be thinking about those New Year Resolutions.  Here at Red Hill General Store we're hoping for a great year in 2011.  There are going to be a lot of new things for our company this year, and we will keep you updated with all our news via our blog, website, and Facebook page.  Our resolution will be to be the best Red Hill General Store that we can be for you, our faithful customer.

Now, it seems that (according to usa.gov) that the most popular New Year's Resolutions are:

Drink Less Alcohol
Get a Better Education
Get a Better Job
Get Fit (Lose Weight)
Manage Debt
Manage Stress
Quit Smoking
Save Money
Take a Trip
and Volunteer

Are any of these your resolutions?  If so how are you planning to reach these goals?  If not, what is your resolution?  We would love to hear about your plans for this upcoming year!

Christmas Eve is Here