County Sales' 50th Anniversary Open House

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Courtesy County Sales

County Sales is celebrating 50 years as a brick-and-mortar record store in Floyd, Virginia with a three-day open house from August 4 - 6, 2023. From 10 AM to 8 PM Friday and Saturday and 1 PM to 5 PM on Sunday, the open house will feature live musical performances, artist meet and greets, workshops, jamming, retail sales and much more. County Sales is located at 117 S Locust St, Floyd, VA 24091.

In 1973, Dave Freeman moved his family and his County Sales operation to Floyd County, Virginia. Ever since then, County Sales has been delivering the highest quality old time, bluegrass and classic country recordings to audiences all over the world from our 1-stop light town in Southwest Virginia. This year marks County Sales’ 50th Anniversary in Floyd. In honor of this monumental anniversary, County Sales is hosting an all weekend Open House with great deals on inventory as well as performances, meet and greets, workshops and jams all weekend long. All events at County Sales will be free, but there will be some ticketed events at The Floyd Country Store in collaboration with the open house. 

The open house will feature special guests such as: Lonesome River Band, The Kody Norris Show, Allen Mills & Gene Parker (Lost & Found), Jeremy Stephens & Corrina Rose Logston (High Fidelity), Raistlin Brabson & Up Jumped Trouble, Corbin Hayslett & Jesse Smathers and more! 

Corbin Hayslett, general manager of County Sales, shares, “For half of a century, County Sales has brought people from all around the globe to this wonderful little town we call home, Floyd. For countless musicians and collectors County Sales has been and continues to be the primary hub for traditional music recordings both old and new. Now a 501c3 non-profit under Handmade Music, we look forward to serving our community and far beyond for the next half century. We encourage friends from far and wide to come join us and celebrate great music for our 50th anniversary celebration!”

With performances and happenings at both County Sales and the Floyd Country Store all weekend, you’re encouraged to join us in Floyd for a great weekend of music. Be sure to bring your instruments for jamming!

County Sales was initially opened as the distribution arm of County Records, a storied record label formed by Dave Freeman in New York City in 1965. Freeman, like so many urban youths during the American folk music revival, was enthralled with traditional, rural music styles captured on 78 RPM records from the pre-World War II period. To share his passion for these old discs, especially those of early stringband music, he began compiling and releasing long-play albums of the old 78 RPM recordings. Freeman noted that in his travels through the mountain south in search of music and music makers that bands seemed to have their own endemic sound in nearly every different county. Hence the name of his fledgling label, County Records. Soon, County Records began releasing new recordings in the 1960s by a range of bluegrass, gospel and old-time artists such as E.C. Ball, The Shenandoah Cutups, Larry Richardson, Curly Seckler, Tommy Jarrell and many more. Since finding its home in Floyd, County Sales has been the world’s premier bluegrass and old-time music record store and distributor. After decades in the ‘basement’ on Talley’s Alley, County Sales now makes its home at 117 South Locust St. in downtown Floyd, just across the street from The Floyd Country Store. Now part of the 501c3 non-profit Handmade Music, County Sales continues connecting people around the globe with new and rare recordings of American traditional music since.