Area restaurant owners have faced tough decisions about their businesses and how to move forward.
But not every spot was so lucky.
Just beyond the citys main business area, dining destinations inHistoric Biltmore Villageand the River Arts District were totaled.
Credit:Johnny Autry
In Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey Counties, among other locations, restaurants suffered similar fates.
Yet even with so many places experiencing the crisis, no two owners faced the same set of obstacles.
We checked in with some of the storm-ravaged establishments that are navigating very different paths ahead.
Credit:Johnny Autry
But four weeks later, the couple was bracing for destruction.
I wanted to say, Look around, and say goodbye to everything, Hallee recalls.
In tiny Marshall, every business was gutted, and some were swept down the river.
Yet Hallee insists shes grateful she got the briefest glimpse of their fantasy project.
Weve got to start somewhere.
At12 Bones Smokehouse, many of those happy customers scribbled their names on a designated wall.
While that wall is still standing, the interiors were destroyed.
We didnt feel invincible but thought wed be okay.
At first, they thought it might not reach the merchandise.
Credit:Johnny Autry
Still, Angela and Bryan emphasize that many of their fellow River Arts District restaurateurs were hit harder.
They say that, in some ways, theyre thankful for an excuse to keep things small.
Maybe it is about simplifying, says Angela, who has had her eye on updating the back patio.
Credit:Johnny Autry
Now, she says, its time to plant.
But you know how it’s possible for you to be okay until someone asks, Are you okay?
I couldnt stop the tears.
He wasnt the only one.
Since opening in 2015, Maples had been a haven for the community.
A meditation circle and a knitting club had met there too.
On customer-appreciation day a few years back, adoring patrons had danced in the rain.
And the rain returned with Hurricane Helene, along with brutally violent winds.
When the question came, she wept.
Credit:Johnny Autry
To boil the chicken for the broth, they had to haul water from a well.
And the duo always did.
They last offered the weekly special on September 24.
Helens closed after that days service for the coming stormand hasnt reopened since.
Both of us put in our complete life savings, Donna recalls.
The pair paid to renovate and redecorate, but mostly they invested their timeregularly putting in 17-hour days.
Ultimately, though, they agreed that the enterprise brought them closer together.
Ive got four brothers, but Im the only daughter, Donna says.
We had talked about doing something just for the girls for years.
On the morning of September 27, their dream was washed away.
She nearly said, Come back, and see us.
