NEWPORT, Tenn. — Several businesses in Newport shut their doors for weeks following Helene's flooding. From inches of water ruining floors to lost merchandise, owners have worked to recover quickly. While they said community support has been essential it won't be enough to sustain them.
Melissa and Corey Ackerman, owners of Snowbird Mountain Coffee Company, said their sales have dropped from 20% to 40%.
"It means we wouldn't be able to make it through the winter. With numbers like that, I would have to start cutting people. Their paychecks would get less. I don't want to lay anybody off. I don't want to send anybody home," Melissa Ackerman said.
For businesses off-Broadway, they didn't see as much damage but they're still feeling the effects. Dee Webber owns Roscoe's Treasures on Main Street. With over 70 vendors, they rely on North Carolina customers.
"We got a lot of Asheville traffic before. Now that the traffic has been rerouted, people don't want to come down here and it's a nightmare. The lights have been really messed up too. So, people are avoiding it and it's really hurting the businesses a lot," Webber said.
Now with the holiday season approaching, businesses are hoping a boost in sales will help them into the new year. Fruit Jar Alley had flooded and while owner Allison Manes was able to reopen after two weeks, there are more repairs she has to wait on until after the busy season.
"We've been very blessed and people have continued to shop with us and we so appreciate it. It's beautiful in here. We turned something awful into something that's ok. We're just going to keep building and keep working and make it better day by day," Manes said.
Owners said they want people to know downtown is back open. They said there might be traffic but they have a lot to offer that's worth the wait.