Welcome to Outer Space
-The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on June 27, 2019.
OuterSpace – the collaborative Locust Street venue of John Beegle’s Bootleg BBQ, Erika Johnson’s Revolution Juice Yurt and Barbara Gillespie’s Grateful Bread Blue Bus – had its soft opening last weekend.
“For me it’s about the vibe of Tulum, Mexico mixed with the vibe of mountain towns in Colorado, where things are cool, quirky and laid back. There hasn’t been enough outdoor hangouts with seating (including comfy chairs and hammocks) where people can use the wifi and free library and just hang out,” said Johnson, former Floydfest co-founder and original co-owner of Oddfellas restaurant.
Grateful Bread’s owner/baker, Gillespie added, “I’ve watched this over and over; people walk to the end of Dogtown, and they sort of look around, like what else is there? Well now there’s more.” Gillespie, whose father owns the land the venue sits on, will be featuring her art – metal work, batiks and painted Buddhas – as well as her baked goods at the bus.
They’ve already had people driving by pull over because it looks interesting, she said. “It’s all evolving. It feels good to have a place. We’ll be adding pop-up dinners and brunches and Grateful Bread donuts on Sunday,” she said. She and Johnson have talked about everything from firesides storytelling to a recording studio on the bus, and even pop-up massages. Gillespie is also a musician and massage therapist.
Johnson’s is the first certified yurt restaurant in Virginia. Her smoothies, which have names like Nada Colada, Good Day Sunshine and Pink Floyd, are tasty and sweetened with dates. Some are high protein and some include CBD oil from Floyd’s Buffalo Mountain Hemp Company. CBD from the hemp plant is not psychoactive and has been shown in studies to be helpful for anxiety, insomnia, cognition issues, pain and more, Johnson explained.
Johnson and Gillespie recently took a welding class together and a metal venue sign being created by Gillespie is on the way, as well as a Grand Opening. “After Floydfest,” they both agreed. Along with having been a Floydfest founder and director for more than a decade, Johnson runs another Revolution Juice Yurt at Floydfest. Beegle is a Floydfest food vendor and Gillespie has been an ambiance director, busker and baker at the festival.
____Pictured in photo #1 is Pictured at the OuterSpace venue are Michelle Radford, who works at Bootleg BBQ, Erika Johnson and Barbara Gillespie. Bootleg BBQ’s Jon Beegle was out of town during the soft opening. More at Outta Space is Outta Sight HERE.
