June 8, 2026

By Sara Millhouse

Photo courtesy of Jan Brown

Whistle Pig Country Store is closed on Sundays, but on this particular Sunday, co-owner Jan Brown knows the veterinary students are cramming for exams. She walks from her home next door to unlock the doors so a handful of students will have a quiet place to study. She knows she can trust her customers. She lets them work on their own all day and even makes them free ham sandwiches.

“We wanted to bring back a place that brought the community together, that people could come and hang out,” Brown said of the business she’s built with her sister Melissa Hubbard in unincorporated Ewing, Virginia. “People crave that community.”

Brown and Hubbard came back here to their native Lee County after full professional careers. Hubbard managed dairy farms and taught agriculture. Brown owned a Snap-On Tools franchise and worked as a Snap-On district manager—the first woman to hold both roles.

The sisters returned to find that Lee County had attracted newcomers, but some neighbors feared losing their unique Appalachian cultural values. Ewing lacked places for people to visit together and connect with one another. “It was missing that community that we grew up with,” Brown said.

The sisters purchased the 92-year-old Wheeler Store and the surrounding property in 2020. They set out to create a place that would fulfill the community functions of an old country store, for 21st century Appalachians. “This is what we’re trying to do, is bring the older community to interact with the younger community,” Brown said.

The sisters knew their hometown had hungry customers. The largest veterinary school in the country holds classes just down the road. Thousands of visitors pass by on their way to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and Wilderness Road State Park.

Starting their business has taken extraordinary gumption, dedication and resources. The women financed their dream with a significant personal loan, and they pursued every grant opportunity they could find.

Photo courtesy of Jan Brown

Becki O’Quinn of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Mountain Empire Community College played a big part in helping the sisters develop business plans and seek assistance. Among their successes was a Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) Seed Capital Matching Grant for $10,000, which covered a crucial piece of equipment. Opportunity Appalachia also worked with them in an advisory role as they designed the building that became Whistle Pig.

Brown said the business struggled with requirements that weren’t realistic in their rural location. A previous building inspector told them they couldn’t use the old country store building. Required septic designs wouldn’t work for their location. And a last-minute hot-water heater change cost thousands just two weeks before opening.

Despite the challenges, after years of preparation, the sisters opened the Whistle Pig Country Store, Deli and Coffee Shop in 2025. “Whistle pig” is an Appalachian name for a groundhog, because of their high-pitched communication.

On any given day, the deli and coffee shop are whistling and buzzing, warm with laughter as customers chat through an open window with cooks and commune amongst themselves. The Lincoln Memorial University lacrosse team pulls up via bus on their way to a tough game, followed by the monthly brunch visit of the large, local Bailey clan.

Photo courtesy of Jan Brown

For breakfast, Hubbard makes sausage gravy the way their mother taught them. This Appalachian breakfast mainstay is a brown gravy made from roux that is rich with bacon and sausage. When lunch time rolls around, “kitchen boss” Camille makes Dominican pork tacos with sweet fried plantains that always sell out, Brown said.

The Whistle Pig already needs more outdoor seating, because everyone wants to be out on the big, hospitable porch. Hubbard loves chatting with customers. Brown gains satisfaction from knowing that the business is supporting their employees’ lives and dreams.

“Every two weeks I write a paycheck for nine people,” she said. “That’s the most enjoyable thing I do.”

Together, the sisters have created a gathering place where people feel at-home, safe and welcome, where people of different generations and backgrounds can “come in and sit a spell.” A place like Whistle Pig can—quite literally—bring everyone to the table.

Brown hopes this community center continues for generations to come. “We want it to be sustainable for years, to pay it forward and give other people an opportunity to run it,” she said. “When that time comes, I hope they pick up the same vision we have, which is to give back to the community. This is all based on community, community, community.”

Photo courtesy of Jan Brown