“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to bring some life into Oak Hill,” told Tiffany Willis, owner of The Frozen Barn.
Oak Hill, a small town located in Southern West Virginia, has recently had an increase in its popularity. This small town could be considered the gateway to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which has made the tourism around the area increase exponentially. Several locals have seized the opportunity and started their own businesses, increasing the travel through the town. With the new destinations for tourists to stop popping up all throughout Oak Hill, these family-owned businesses are helping to settle a positive influence on Oak Hill.
When businesses reside in an area, they have a complete impact in everything around them and can become a beacon of hope in challenging times. One successful business can instill hope in a town, the people, and further surroundings as it changes the atmosphere around it.
“I definitely see The Frozen Barn as a sign of hope. I feel like it has given our community something to look forward to, something to bring some life and joy into the area,” stated Willis.
“I would like to see people continuing to support us; things get difficult without support. Other businesses do actually support us, such as Southern Eye Care down the street,” said Hannah Whitlow-Stines, co-owner of Custom Creations Bakery.
One of the heart-warming aspects of the businesses in Oak Hill is not only the support brought to the community, but also the support that is given to other businesses as well. With a smaller community, it can get rough when you don’t have someone in your corner.
Oak Hill was incorporated on February 23, 1903 with a steady growing population, which hit a flatline in the 4000s from the 1950s to the 1970s. The population then continued to grow again before it started to fluctuate between the 6000s and 7000s, with the population finally settling in the 7000s in the 1990s and 2000s.
Oak Hill was, for lack of better wording, a coal town, with varying degrees of popularity while the coal industry boomed and waned as the decades passed. While many believed Oak Hill to be stagnant and unchanging, in recent years the town has bounced back and started proving the doubters wrong.
“There are endless business opportunities in Oak Hill right now. I believe more [business] will come next summer as word gets out about our awesome area and small business,” said Willis.
Now the population of this small city has grown to and remains in the 8,000s, making it the biggest city in Fayette County. This has only increased the real estate market, further proving the point that Oak Hill is on the rise.
With the increased tourism, many tourists find the small town charming and are willing to not only make it a regular travel destination, but they are also willing to make the change and start calling it home.
“I moved here in January of 2019,” told Angelina “Angie” Corwin, owner of Activated Body.
Corwin, originally from California, moved to Fayetteville, West Virginia, a destination for rock climbers, such as Angie herself, before settling in Oak Hill. Having lived in Fayetteville for her first two years after her cross-country move, it also happened to be where she opened her first office.
“I actually explored Fayetteville the first two years I lived here; I didn’t have much to do with Oak Hill, my first office that I opened was in Fayetteville,” stated Corwin.
“I opened my business and started seeing clients at a yoga studio in Fayetteville and traveled to Charleston to a palates studio, but I think it’s important to note that I was still working under other people. I wasn’t able to run my business the way I wanted to.”
Despite the rough hours and sometimes overwhelming workload, it’s all worth it in the end as Activated Body offers new experiences to the locals and a different take on fitness, which Corwin is very passionate about.
“Well, I hear a lot from clients, ‘I’m so glad you’re here, we need more of this.’ It’s not like we don’t have any gyms, but we don’t have many palates studios. I provide a very gentle approach to fitness; I want people to move and to keep moving. Especially in the fitness industry, there is such a focus on what the body looks like, and to me I don’t care about that. I don’t want to promote just what sells, I want to sell what I’m passionate about,” said Corwin.
As Corwin does her best to provide gentle and newer approaches to fitness, it ties directly back into West Virginia’s outdoor communities, such as the hiking. West Virginia is also one of the best places to rock climb and others are starting to recognize that and move to the area because of it.
Corwin stated, “One of the communities I’m a part of is the rock climbing community, I come across this a bit. People come here and they love it, they love the vibe, the people, it makes me feel like I found the best hidden secret. I find a lot of pride and conformation that I made the right decision.”
Between the beautiful views, the lovely people, and endless outdoor activities tourists cannot get enough, which makes Oak Hill one of the best places to open a small business.
From bakeries to gift shops, to an ice cream parlor, and even a palates studio, this small town just keeps trending up.
Many of the business owners and citizens alike have noticed the increase and several have things to say about it, while some might dislike it, others are more open to tourism in the area.
“It is amazing how much our small town has changed just in the past year alone; we are finally getting new businesses that are staying. We are getting actual tourism, and it is kickstarting a new era for Oak Hill,” said local Stephanie Tyree.
Oak Hill had hit a rough spot this last decade, new businesses were constantly in and out, never staying long. However, Custom Creations Bakery put a stop to that and set a new example, Hannah Whitlow-Stines co-owner of the bakery with her sister, Kaylee Whitlow, the resilience of this sister duo has really shined through.
The Whitlow sisters started out of their mom’s house and were using Facebook to get orders. They paired that with curbside pick-up. This unstoppable pair of lovely sisters, put in their all and have shown time and time again that they will not stop, especially when it comes to their drive to bring positivity into the community.
“[I hope that we] give something positive for the locals to look forward to, even if it’s just a cupcake,” said Whitlow-Stines.
After saving up for several months and working hard, the sisters were able to rent a building on Main Street. Despite some updates throughout the building, these ladies pushed through to continue to update their bakery to bring a clean, safe environment to the town.
“I’m a firm believer in, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be and that everything happens for a reason,” was stated by Whitlow-Stines, and despite several mishaps and pushed back opening dates, they finally got to open their bakery on June 21, 2020.
Custom Creations Bakery, as the name might suggest, specializes in custom cake orders. However, they also sell lemon bars, cinnamon rolls, pepperoni rolls, and many more, with a wide variety that anyone can find something to enjoy.
These two full-time college students have worked hard and continue proving every day that if you have a dream to do it. Your dreams are only out of your reach if you let them be, so you can either get up and start chasing it, or let it cross the finish line before the horn goes off.
“My advice is to go for it, no one can hold you back except yourself,” told Whitlow-Stines.
Custom Creations has recently celebrated their one-year anniversary and are excitedly anticipating their next several anniversaries. The feeling of completion that comes when you hit your anniversary every year is one that most businesses look forward to, and it’s no different for the owners of Custom Creations.
“We can’t wait to be celebrating our ten-year anniversary here, because your one to five years are your hardest,” informed Whitlow-Stines.
With Custom Creations Bakery proving that it is possible with enough effort that you can do what might seem impossible, The Frozen Barn proves that even new businesses can help the community more than anyone could imagine.
Tiffany Willis, the owner of The Frozen Barn, feels the same way.
“The Frozen Barn has also brought people from other towns and areas to Oak Hill , which in return those people have stopped at other local stores and businesses,” Willis stated.
The Frozen Barn, located on East Main Street, has obviously had an impact on Oak Hill. Constantly people are in and out, driving to Oak Hill just to get some of the delicious hand-dipped ice cream. As The Frozen Barn brings more people in with a friendly, cooperative staff, and sweet summer treats, they bring more business through Oak Hill, hopefully leaving a long-lasting ripple effect for the other businesses.
The retro ice cream parlor is also amazing for a fun-loving individual, which is accentuated by the small arcade, not to mention their creative ice-cream flavors and custom combinations. Ice cream makes everything better, bringing in a positive light and watching the smiles grow as people enjoy their scoops is a feeling everyone should love.
“I wanted to create something fun and enjoyable for kids, youth, and adults. Ice cream makes people happy, and I love seeing everyone smile,” said Willis.
With so much positive impact on Oak Hill and the people in it, The Frozen Barn is an amazing destination for anyone to check out. This small business is undoubtedly helping to build the community up in more than just one way.
“I believe The Frozen Barn has influenced Oak Hill in a positive way. It has given local residents something to look forward to and somewhere fun to take their kids and enjoy some hand-dipped ice cream,” Willis stated.
Having had a soft opening on March 17, 2021, and a grand opening on April 3, 2021, this ice cream parlor was a must stop for everyone who passed, even having wait lines out the door. Which continued and only increased the further we got into the sweltering summer days.
“I am hopeful that business will continue to thrive,” told Willis.
Locals especially recommend a scoop of the Raspberry Chip Cheesecake to anyone who stops in.
There are many more businesses bringing in people beyond the three highlighted here, which has had an impact on real estate in Oak Hill. With the presence of increased tourism, more people are recognizing Oak Hill’s charm and potential, and they too are wanting to move into this beautiful town, in a direct turn the competition has skyrocketed. With better competition the market is booming, and it does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. However, this should not be a surprise with the current trends we have noticed in Oak Hill.
While several people are looking at the market, I’m sure we can all agree that we are proud of how exceptionally well it has been doing. Many realtors are doing a wonderful job at bringing in delightful people, which comes back around and directly affects the local businesses by pushing them into the spotlight as well.
With so many new and successful businesses settling in and getting an amazing start, hopefully long-lasting ripple effects for the community, who knows what Oak Hill can achieve next? Along with newly paved roads to accommodate the increase in tourism, Oak Hill is tackling issues one step at a time and putting money back into the community. Let us be prepared to see fresh faces in this beautiful small town.