Kristen McConnell (left) and Debbie Laudermilk sat down with the Alleghany Journal this afternoon to discuss Hawt Stuph, Wicked Weiners, and donuts.

Exciting New Eats and Unique Experiences Coming Soon to 'Five Sides' in Downtown Clifton Forge By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer Clifton Forge, VA (Sept. 23, 2025)— Downtown Clifton Forge is about to experience a rather delicious makeover! The Five Sides building is quickly becoming one of the most beloved local hotspots in town since the opening of Sweetest Side and OLuv Oil. However, building owner Kristen McConnell says this is just the beginning. The charming ambiance downstairs will soon be aromatic with the sweet, sugary scents of fresh-baked donuts and specialty coffees. "We're making donuts in the shop and they'll be in front of that coffee bar that you saw, so that you can sit at the coffee bar and watch the donuts being made," McConnell said when the Journal met up with her and Debbie Laudermilk —who serves as Five Sides retail shops manager— on Tuesday. For those unfamiliar with the setup of the newly restored '5 Sides' building, upon entering the doors on the East Ridgeway side, one will turn left into the hallway which serves as a pleasant seating area for visitors, complete with nook. Sweetest Side immediately faces customers in the walkway before turning right into another seating area with tables and chairs. This is also the location for the aforementioned coffee bar facing a set of windows which peer into the kitchen. "So we'll have seasonal specials, we'll have regular stuff," McConnell said about her growing donut menu. The menus for the donuts and coffee are currently being created by Tanita Custer, a local pastry chef. "She's [Custer] put together a menu, but a staple will be the lemon drop, which will be a lemon-filled donut... she had one that she called the vampire's kiss that's raspberry filled with chocolate icing." McConnell also noted that the donuts would be made fresh daily and the shop would not be limited to donuts, but also chocolate croissants, bagels, and, potentially, some breakfast items including a special called "Bacon Me Crazy" reminiscent of a B.L.T. As part of Hawt Stuph, items will include hot teas, coffees, and, to our surprise, specialty coffees. For those who may have read our previous article on the upcoming Five Sides coffee shop, we reported there would not be specialty coffees. However, Kristen McConnell says all that changed after meeting Ivy Bobbitt, a local barista with six months training at Starbucks. Therefore, customers can look forward to their mochas, lattes, cappuccinos etc. in addition to regular coffees and even cold beverages. What the Journal found most interesting during our interview with McConnell and Laudermilk was how driven they were to make Five Sides the best it can be while utilizing the instruments still in place from the bank. Yes, you read that correctly. Both the old bank vault and pneumatic tubes —the vacuum chutes you send/receive your checks/money in— will be employed. The vault will become their wine and cheese vault, a store specializing in wines and cheeses, and the pneumatic tubes will be used in their second drive thru to send wrapped hot dog orders out to eager customers. However, the wine and cheese vault is a "further in the future" store we expect to have more on later. Wicked Weiners is among the stores opening in the near future alongside Hawt Stuph and, simply put, will feature seven different menu hot dogs. Though it has different hours than Hawt Stuph, both stores will be open seven days a week. Perhaps the biggest question now resonating with readers is, "When?" We can answer that. McConnell is looking at opening prior to the Fall Festival during the week of October 13th-19th. Hours for Hawt Stuph will be 5:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m. from Monday thru Saturday and 6:00 a.m.—7:00 p.m. on Sundays. Wicked Weiners will be open from 11:00 a.m.—7:00 daily. In the meantime, folks can still enjoy Sweetest Side and OLuv Oil seven days a week. We stopped in during our visit and noticed the ever-growing candy selections of Sweetest Side while learning that OLuv Oil has an "Order Online" option. Manager Debbie Laudermilk noted that, for those unaware of that option, can visit oluvoils.com to order from their large selection of oils, with a minimal shipping cost. Orders over $150 can experience free shipping. On a personal note, Laudermilk added, "I'm going to throw this out there. Being a council person, I am so appreciative that Ron [McConnell, Kristen's husband] and Kristen came to this town and invested in our town to a level that we really haven't seen before. I mean, they just keep investing and investing. The amount of people we're hiring here that live in Clifton Forge. We are hiring people that live right here in town. People who can walk to work." Both Hawt Stuph and Wicked Weiners are currently hiring. When all is said and done, McConnell's Five Sides project will open about 50 jobs right here in Clifton Forge.

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