The First Lady of Crabapple

The Crabapple Community lost one of its own this past Friday.

Virginia Reeves, age 91, passed away Nov. 23 after a brief period of illness.

Along with her late husband, Emory, Virginia was a fixture in the Crabapple antique scene prior to closing their business in 2005. The annual antique festival may not have been started by them, but without their passion it never would have grown to attract in excess of 10,000 visitors in the 1970s and '80s.

I had the opportunity to speak with the couple as they were packing things up at their antique store a few years back. They bantered backed and forth playfully the entire time, sharing memories of all the changes in the area since they had been convinced by Pat and Ben Statham to move their antique store from Buckhead to Crabapple in 1969. Virginia spoke of how they used to hide each day's earnings in the freezer, calling it "Cold Cash" and of how she was always telling Emory to be careful crossing the road. This was of course, after Emory had been struck in 2000. Even their store wasn't immune to traffic, with the corner column being struck several times.

She refused to let me leave without a few momentos, including a signed copy of "A Place Called Sweet Apple" by Celestine Sibley, who they were very fond of, a drive thru ordering card used at the original Varsity in downtown Atlanta, and two placemats that had been handmade by a niece of nephew with laminated photos of their antique store and the rug store they later owned across the intersection, both as they had appeared before the Reeve's opened shop.

I hear that in the past few years Virginia began to write down some of her favorite stories, and I hope these see the light of day at some point. I'm sure they will be much enjoyed, just as she and Emory were.