Emma Shaye, 32, purchased the property in the fall of 2024 for $23,000 following the loss of her mother to Multiple System Atrophy.
A Virginia resident is transforming a 120-year-old abandoned general store into her dream homestead—and sharing every step of the journey with hundreds of thousands of followers online.
Emma Shaye, 32, purchased the property in the fall of 2024 for $23,000 following a deeply personal loss. The previous year, she lost her mother to multiple system atrophy (MSA), a rare neurodegenerative disease.
Before taking on the renovation, Shaye lived a life on the move. She traveled the country with her dog in a van she converted herself. But when her mother was diagnosed in 2023, Shaye set aside her travels and moved to Florida to serve as a full-time caregiver until her mother passed away.
Then, seeking a fresh start and comfort, she relocated to Virginia to be closer to family.
“I have always dreamt about having a home on land in the woods with a garden, maybe some chickens, maybe some farm animals,” Shaye explains. “[But] part of the homesteading thing was just wanting to feel closer to my mom.”
Shaye grew up in a naturally handy and creative family. As a child, she watched her father work as a professional contractor, surrounded by saws, wood, and tools. Meanwhile, her mother was a creative soul who loved watching people renovate European chateaus and frequently sent her daughter links to ambitious property transformations.
“I always had both of these aspects from my parents that I feel are in me and made me feel like I could do anything,” Shaye says.
Emma Shaye purchased the property in the fall of 2024 for $23,000 following a deeply personal loss. (Emma Shaye) 
Before taking on the renovation, Shaye lived a life on the move, traveling the country with her dog in a van she converted herself. (Emma Shaye) 
Built around 1907 in what was once a thriving railroad town, the building originally housed a general store and an adjacent pharmacy. (Emma Shaye) 
Between the 1930s and 1940s, the building became a central hub for the community as a combined local post office and general store. (Emma Shaye) Uncovering historic roots
With help from her father, who contacted the previous owner, Emma purchased the 4,000-square-foot brick building in Southampton County, VA.
Built around 1907 in what was once a thriving railroad town, the building originally housed a general store and an adjacent pharmacy. Between the 1930s and 1940s, it became a central hub for the community as a combined local post office and general store.
“A lot of the people who grew up here that I know, like the older generation, tell me stories about how they would go after school, hop off the bus and go into the store and get candy and soda,” Shaye says. “It's really sweet that they have those memories and that they can share them with me.”
After the post office closed in the late 1970s, the structure served briefly as a woodworking shop before sitting vacant for decades. By the time Shaye took ownership, the roof was leaking, the original wooden floors were rotting, and the interior was overflowing with forgotten junk.
Still, she saw untapped potential in the two-story building's original tin ceilings, historic brickwork, and rich character.
Renovating the property
Transforming a century-old commercial landmark into a comfortable home has proven far more challenging than Shaye anticipated.
She spent her first six months simply clearing out decades of debris—a task that turned out to be an unexpected treasure hunt. She uncovered vintage receipts, original shelving, and antique stamped glass bottles left behind.
“I felt like an archaeologist, going through everything and discovering stuff,” Shaye recalls.
However, once the cleanout ended, the technical roadblocks began—most notably, county permitting.
“The permitting process has been by far the most difficult and the most unexpected,” Shaye says. “I'm almost two years in, and I still don't have a permit. Thankfully, there's tons of stuff that I can do without having a permit, but I'm nearing the end of that process.”
Transforming a century-old commercial landmark into a comfortable home has proven far more challenging than Shaye anticipated. (Emma Shaye) 
Shaye is currently restoring the historic windows to make the structure watertight. (Emma Shaye) 
Shaye's next step is working on the flooring to make the space walkable before bringing in licensed professionals for electrical and plumbing work. (Emma Shaye) 
She spent her first six months simply clearing out decades of debris—a task that turned out to be an unexpected treasure hunt. (Emma Shaye) While the building itself is zoned residential, it has never been used as a home. This means Shaye needs to add and convert certain things on the property to meet residential code.
Her biggest setback involved getting a septic and well permit; because the soil did not pass a standard percolation test, she had to pay a site engineer $3,000 to design a specialized septic system.
Faced with deed questions, insulation requirements that risk covering historic features, and high infrastructure costs, Shaye has come to the conclusion that she might have to adapt her original vision.
“It might just be I put an airstream on the property, and that's my septic and shower and bathroom, and the actual building just becomes my adult playhouse,” Shaye explains. “It might still be my home, or it might be everything but the place that I sleep.”
In the meantime, Shaye continues tackling smaller projects. She is currently restoring the historic windows to make the structure watertight. While she handles the bulk of the manual work herself, she has brought in specialized help when needed—spending $6,000 on a new roof, $9,000 to clear thick brush and trees from the parcel, and $3,500 for a mason to rebuild the structural parapet walls.
Her next step is working on the flooring to make the space walkable before bringing in licensed professionals for electrical and plumbing work. However, she’s still not sure when the renovations will be fully completed.
“I think from the beginning, people were asking me what the timeline was, and I just had no idea,” Shaye says. “I would love to have it done in the next two years. ... I would like to move on to other projects and maybe do some more van life or traveling.”
Finding community on YouTube
While Shaye originally started posting on YouTube back when she was traveling the country in her van, her account truly gained traction when she shared a video tour of the property.
Today, over 300,000 subscribers follow her steady progress on YouTube. (Emma Shaye) 
As construction continues, Shaye is already dreaming about the interior design phase. (Emma Shaye) 
Balancing physical labor, supply runs, administrative tasks, and video editing has been exhausting, but Shaye says the connection with her viewers makes it all worthwhile. (Emma Shaye) 
However, Shaye still isn't sure when the renovations will be fully completed. (Emma Shaye) “My sister-in-law asked me if I was going to film it because I had filmed van life stuff on YouTube before, and I was just like, 'I don't know,'” Shaye explains. “And then I uploaded the tour video, and it did pretty well. Surely this must be a fluke. And I was like, I'll just upload another video and see what happens. And then I did that, and it did really well.”
Today, over 300,000 subscribers follow her steady progress on YouTube. Managing a full-time renovation alongside content creation forced her to quit her job as a social media manager and restructure her weekly routine to prevent burnout.
“In the beginning, I was a full-time social media manager, and I had just started filming and trying to do YouTube full time,” Shaye says. “And within a few months, I realized that that was not sustainable, and I had to scale it back.”
Balancing physical labor, supply runs, administrative tasks, and video editing has been exhausting, but Shaye says the connection with her viewers makes it all worthwhile.
“For me, the greatest benefit has been building a community where people are so supportive and warm and kind,” Shaye explains. “We've bonded a lot over my mom too. I do a cheers at the beginning of my video, and they all respond really warmly to that because they've lost people too.”
Looking to the future
As construction continues, Shaye is already dreaming about the interior design phase. She envisions blending multiple distinct aesthetics that naturally fit the building’s unique history—combining Gothic architectural touches and cozy farmhouse elements with subtle nods to classic European palaces like Versailles.
“There's so many aesthetics that I'm so inspired by,” Shaye says. “So for me, the challenge and the fun part is figuring out how to make them feel cohesive and incorporate them in a way that doesn't feel random.”
While the road ahead remains long, Shaye keeps her eye on the ultimate reward: bringing a piece of history back to life with her own two hands.
“I often imagine looking at the building in 10 years and just feeling so much gratitude and feeling so proud of how hard I worked and what I created,” Shaye says.