For Immediate Release
Contact: Rob Jones, Project Manager for Heartwood
               276-202-6600, r.jones@sdcint.com   

Designs Unveiled for New Southwest Virginia Artisan Center
Heartwood will showcase Southwest Virginia’s unique artisan and other offerings

Abingdon, Va. (Jan. 17, 2008) – Plans for Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway were unveiled January 10th to the Virginia Art and Architectural Review Board in Richmond.  Heartwood, which will be located off Interstate 81 in Abingdon, Va. will promote the area’s diverse crafts, and cultural and natural attractions and entice visitors to explore the surrounding communities.

The $16 million, 28,000 square foot facility, designed by Spectrum Design in Roanoke, Va., will feature the region’s hand made crafts and displays for artisan trails, cultural tourism initiatives such as the Wilderness Road, and music venues found along The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. 

Large format displays, videos, and interactive maps will showcase the region’s artisans and provide detailed information on travel to the areas various points of interest (including food and lodging).  In three years it is expected to bring in at least 270,000 visitors, generate $2.2 million in revenue, and result in a total economic impact of about $28 million to the region.  The project has a number of financial sponsors and broad regional support.

"This is a great opportunity to pay homage to the rich heritage that is present throughout the area and help lift the economic spirits of a distressed region," said Diana Blackburn, executive director of Round the Mountain, Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Network.  "Although the industry presence in Southwest Virginia is unstable, the region continues to sustain its cultural identities.  Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway will be a platform for the artisans who call this area home, and will also serve as a symbol of the region’s resilience over time."

Heartwood: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Gateway is the latest and largest effort to package Southwest Virginia together as a single tourism destination to benefit the economy of the entire region.  In addition to showcasing the talents of artisan’s all over the region, Heartwood will serve as a cultural hub, working with and helping to promote the activities of other venues like The Crooked Road, as well as area nature trails and downtown revitalization projects.

"As Heartwood grows and the level of activity increases, the entire region will see the benefits, instead of just one or two communities," said Blackburn.  "That’s what we find so exciting about this project – that Heartwood will not just support the talents that have been here forever but it will also lead Southwest Virginia in building a stronger identity that is focused on what we have to offer, instead of what we might have lost in the past."

Heartwood will feature a café focusing on locally grown and sustainably produced food items and the Heartwood Management Team is actively seeking local restaurateurs to partner with to operate the food services component. 

Construction is expected to begin late summer 2008 on the campus of Virginia Highlands Community College, just one mile outside historic downtown Abingdon, with the opening tentatively scheduled for the 2009 Christmas season. The location was chosen based on its proximity to the interstate and to the town largely recognized as the cultural capitol of Southwest Virginia.