Food City today unveiled a life-sized LOVE artwork, now on display in the new Food City shopping center, located at 151 Cook Street in Abingdon, VA.  The shopping center borders a new state-of-the-art sports complex currently under construction and serves as a new walking entrance to the Virginia Creeper Trail. 

Created as part of a state and local partnership to promote travel and tourism, the artwork is an extension of the iconic "Virginia is for Lovers" brand, which in 2019 is celebrating 50 years since its inception.

The Food City LOVEwork is one of more than 190 giant LOVE letters, called LOVEworks, in towns and cities across the Commonwealth.

"Virginia is for Lovers is about doing the things you love to do on vacation with the people you love most," said Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. "The new LOVEwork at Food City captures that idea perfectly, and gives you an authentic sense of place as it showcases a bicycle themed design inspired by its close proximity to The Virginia Creeper Trail. We are excited that Food City will help us share the LOVE with travelers, helping them to discover for themselves why Virginia is for Lovers.”

Each LOVE installation is a reflection of the community in which it stands, and the Food City LOVEwork is no exception.

The Food City LOVEwork is constructed from bicycles donated by Food City employees, as well as members of the local community.  The entire project was designed and built by a team of associates employed by Food City’s Distribution Center, also located in Abingdon, VA.

“I am delighted to have a brand new LOVEwork added to our community.  Abingdon is known for the Virginia Creeper Trail and its vibrant art scene and this is a great way to combine the two,” said Abingdon, VA Mayor Wayne Craig.

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the town of Abingdon is known for its artsy vibe, historic charm and its proximity to some of the most spectacular outdoor recreation in the state.   Visitors come from all over the world to ride The Virginia Creeper Trail, a bucket-list recreation trail that winds 34 miles through beautiful Jefferson National Forest.  The downtown arts and culture district is anchored by the iconic Barter Theatre, and the thriving culinary scene features more restaurants per capita than New York City. 

Visitors to the Food City LOVEwork are encouraged to take pictures with it and share them on Facebook at Facebook.com/VirginiaisforLovers and on Instagram and Twitter, using the hashtag #LOVEVA and #lovefromAbingdon. A full list of LOVEworks can be found at Virginia.org/LOVE.

Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia. In 2018, tourism generated $26 billion in revenue, supported 234,000 jobs and provided $1.8 billion in state and local taxes for the Commonwealth.


Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 132 retail supermarkets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, Chattanooga and north Georgia.