CORRYTON, Tenn — A business that burned to the ground rose from the ashes and reopened Monday.
A small community came together to make a big difference.
After three-and-a-half months, Miller Brothers Auto Repair in Corryton reopened with customers eagerly waiting.
"As a business owner you're scared to death that the business won't come back. We've had a full shop. We've got tickets waiting and people calling every second now making sure we've got room for them today. Which, again, is just heartfelt and amazing," owner Michael Cardin said.
Co-owner Wendy Caldwell said, "We really do feel like a family here at Miller Brothers with our employees but also with the community. It is like a big family."
It's a family that came together in mid-November when an electrical fire destroyed most of Miller Brothers, the repair and transmission area, sparing only the body shop building.
"Your whole livelihood, your business is gone," Michael said.
Wendy said, "We woke up the next morning and within the first two hours probably of being awake we had 30 phone calls from customers worried about us, asking if we were ok, asking what they could do to help."
They bought the business only seven months before the fire struck.
"In the seven months we probably made more true friends, true friends, through this experience than we have had in our entire lifetime and it was shown that morning with the phone calls," Wendy said.
Customers volunteered to reconnect electricity and clear debris. Even Gibbs Middle School reached out.
Cindy Wilkerson with Gibbs Middle School said, "That day, all of us at school, we were like what can we do for them? How can we help them? And at that time we said let's provide them lunch because they were not thinking of eating anything that day."
Customers who lost cars in the fire were mush more concerned about Michael and Wendy. For example, Irene Guinn's family member relies on a wheelchair accessible van. It burned in the fire.
Through Corryton Connection on Facebook, they found another, better, van.
"It is fully accessible, push button, automatic everything, so my mother doesn't have to get out an pull out any kind of ramp anymore," Irene's daughter, Kellie Copeland, said. "It was a God thing. God brought a community together and used everybody in this community and not only blessed my mom but he blessed Michael. He's got a new shop here."
Insurance covered the cost of the new shop. The owners looked after their workers.
Wendy said, "Obviously they were concerned. It was two weeks before Thanksgiving. And we said stop, stop worrying about it. No matter what happens we're keeping you employed, we're paying your salaries until we can get this rebuilt."
"Our heart and soul is the employees we have. I've got one employee in the body shop who has been here 36 years," Michael said.
They rebuilt Miller Brothers with the support of Corryton, a community supporting each other.
Miller Brothers will host a grand reopening celebration and thank you event on Saturday, March 14.
The community is invited to enjoy a free lunch.
Plus, the crew will do oil changes for donations only and that money will be split between the body shop class at Central High School and the shop class over at Gibbs High School.
Miller Brothers Auto Repair
7123 Tazewell Pike
Corryton, Tennessee 37721
(865) 689-5072