Black Mountain gets back to business
Local shops and restaurants reopen after Tropical Storm Helene
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 25, 2024
My Father’s Pizza owner Chloe Brown, left, welcomes customers to the patio of her downtown Black Mountain restaurant, nearly a month after Tropical Storm Helene devastated the region. Photo by Fred McCormick
A familiar scent wafted along Cherry Street, Oct. 23, as brightly colored leaves popped in front of the backdrop of a cloudless bright blue sky. While the streets of historic downtown Black Mountain were conspicuously bare, nearly a month after Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the region, customers were returning to My Father’s Pizza.
The 33-year-old eatery is one of a growing number of local establishments getting back to business following the natural disaster, as officials and merchants begin welcoming visitors back to the town.
A normal lunch rush in the height of the area’s busiest tourist season would have customers waiting by the bar for a table, but as the pizzeria nears its first full week of operation since Sept. 26, a few seats remain empty. Owner Chloe Brown, however, is just happy to catch up with customers and friends.
“It’s been so great to see people,” said Brown, who acquired the family business from her mother in 2020. “Really, to go through COVID that first year and now have this, it’s caused me to have my own mini-breakdowns, but looking around now, I think, ‘we did it; we’re here.’”
The building My Father’s occupies suffered minimal damage from the storm, but the restaurant lost nearly $10,000 in product, forcing Brown and her staff of around 40 to reopen with a limited menu. The eatery adds new items regularly as additional supply orders come in.
“I feel like we were a little lucky,” Brown said. “We had some water that came in the front door, and some through the back, but we were able to clean all of that. Our kitchen sits higher than the rest of the restaurant, so we didn’t have any damage in there.”
While the downtown sidewalks have been largely quiet during the restaurant’s first week back, Brown and her team are reconnecting with regular customers and friends while encouraging people to come to town for the day.
“I’ve had so many people message me and ask if they can come in, and I tell them to please come out for the day,” she said. “People are wondering, and I know we have shop owners here who would love to have people walking around downtown during the day.”
That message was echoed by Black Mountain Mayor Michael Sobol, who is also encouraging residents to “buy local,” as the peak tourism season has been heavily impacted by the fallout from the storm.
“The best way to build back what we knew and loved is to build back local,” an Oct. 23 statement from the mayor read. “To build back local, double down, ‘buy local.’ As soon as you are able, get in the habit of supporting your Swannanoa Valley merchants and restaurants who are trying to stay open.”
Sobol also urged those who can to support servers and “tip generously and often.”
‘Part of the culture of Black Mountain’
Tom McMurtry reopened Europa, a Cherry Street shop he founded with his wife, Kim, in 2014, three weeks after Tropical Storm Helene. Photo by Fred McCormick
While rain poured over downtown Black Mountain, as the storm swept through, local resident and business owner Tom McMurtry worked feverishly to prevent water from pooling in the basement of his Cherry Street shop.
“I was here at 3 a.m., vacuuming water out, and I saw water coming in places I had never seen,” said McMurtry, who opened Europa with his wife Kim in 2014. “When the power went out at 6 a.m., I had to go home. If I hadn’t left then, I wouldn’t have been able to get home for two days because the road to my neighborhood was washed out.”
The couple reopened their business three weeks later, as much of downtown remained empty. They were compelled to get back to work.
“We want to be respectful of neighbors in Swannanoa, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and places that have been devastated, but we know if we continue our business, and stimulate the local economy, it will help them in their recovery, as well,” Tom said. “I think everybody wants our small businesses to make it, so those of us who are capable of opening up are here.”
Downtown Black Mountain suffered minimal structural damage from the storm, but the onslaught of water destroyed merchandise in several businesses. Many shop owners were closed for weeks, as crews worked to restore power, water and internet access, at a time when they would be preparing for the busiest season of the year.
“The leaf-lookers, who would normally be here in October, spend a lot of time shopping in our downtown shops,” Tom said. “We do more business from October through December than we do the rest of the year combined.”
He encourages people who can to come spend a day in town.
“Black Mountain is a favorite place of a lot of people,” Tom said. “We need the people who love it to come out for a day trip.”
Local support will also be crucial to the survival of businesses, he added.
“The local businesses are a big part of the culture of Black Mountain, it’s what gives it that charm,” Tom said. “We have this quaint district, shops, restaurants, breweries, and the people in those places just become friends. That all happens inside these places around town.”
‘It’s healing for me’
Getting back to work at Chifferobe on Cherry Street and Sutton Avenue has been a healing experience for Sharon Tutt, who is re-connecting with friends and neighbors after Tropical Storm Helene. Photo by Fred McCormick
The eccentric collection of products inside of Chifferobe, at the corner of Cherry Street and Sutton Avenue, has been the source of curiosity for downtown visitors for decades. Shoppers can browse a selection of local art, hand-made crafts and “unusual and unique things” they won’t find elsewhere, according to Sharon Tutt, a longtime employee of the shop.
The last couple of weeks have been unlike any other she can recall.
“There was one car parked on Cherry Street last Sunday,” Tutt said, gesturing out of the shop’s window. “Normally, you wouldn’t be able to find a space there.”
Tutt and owner Stephanie Wilder anticipated a slow opening, but being in the store has been helpful to the employee, who was forced to evacuate after the storm.
“One thing that has been so amazing to me is the sense of community we’ve seen through all of this,” Tutt said. “I think people are still processing what happened, but being out here and reconnecting with locals has been healing for me.”
Residents can use the interruption of out-of-town visitors to have easy access to town, as the leaves enter peak season and the holidays approach.
“Honestly, after everything we’ve all just experienced, it would be really nice for all of us to spend time together,” Tutt said.
Beradu gets back to normal
Beradu is getting back to business, as owner Patrick Beraduce slices meet for the Cheshire Village business’ deli case. The business is one of many in the Swannanoa Valley that are reopening after Tropical Storm Helene. Photo by Fred McCormick
Patrick and Maggie Beladuce probably did not anticipate a tropical storm would rock their new hometown, after moving to Black Mountain from Florida a year ago. However, even as Beradu navigated the aftermath of the storm, the couple and their crew figured out ways to serve the community.
“That Saturday after the storm we came in and did cash only and IOUs, because we wanted people to be able to access our products that were still refrigerated,” Patrick said. “After that, we took what we had left and donated some Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, Lookout Brewing Co. and then took 100 pounds of meat out to the former Straightaway Cafe. They had a pretty active community relief center set up there.”
The team continued to get food to people in the weeks they were unable to open their market and restaurant.
“There is a company, Pasta & Provisions, out of Charlotte, which does pre-prepared lasagnas and pastas we carry in our freezer section,” he said. “The owner donated about 25 lasagnas for us to prepare for people in the area, once we got power back, so we delivered them all over."
Beradu Market reponed, Oct. 21, but replenishing its stock will take time, according to the owner.
“We lost a lot of product,” Patrick said. “So, right now our focus is on getting the market going again. We’re getting new stuff in regularly, but we’ve got a way to go before we have everything again.”
The Cheshire Village shop will add fresh produce from local farms in the coming days and increase their selection of pre-prepared foods. The adjacent restaurant will likely return in early November, according to Patrick.
Starting on the long road back
A growing number of Swannanoa Valley businesses continue to reopen after the natural disaster, as vital services are restored throughout the county, but the road back to a thriving local economy will be a long one, Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melinda Hester said.
“Our downtown buildings are mostly fine, but we’re waiting for the return of drinking water before hotels and restaurants are open,” she said. “It is important that people know Black Mountain is open for business.”
The chamber, which hosted a comprehensive Emergency Volunteer Corps in the weeks after the storm, is continuing to invite all businesses, including non-members, to reach out for assistance.
“We’re a partner in the recovery of our communities, and anything this organization can do further that is why we are here,” Hester said. “Our door is always open.”
Local business owners will need access to grants, loans, mental health counseling and guidance on re-starting their operations in the coming weeks, she added.
“They all need local support, regional visitors in town for the day, and people to go online and buy gift cards for their favorite local businesses,” Hester said.
The Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has launched a GoFundMe campaign for the Black Mountain Swannanoa Hurricane Helene Relief Fund, with a goal of $2 million. The effort will support rebuilding local businesses and community projects, according to the director.
“One thing we all know is that this community and region are amazing, and the sense of pride is stronger than ever,” she said. “It will take some time, but with enough support, we will all get through this together.”