Helen Consequences | Asheville businesses seek regional support to recover from Helena

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – The Asheville Downtown Association said downtown businesses are relying on people from across Western North Carolina to show their support as they begin to reopen after Helen.

FEMA reports that 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster, a statistic that groups like the Downtown Asheville Association and Explore Asheville are trying to prevent.

In response, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority opened applications for Always the Asheville Foundation, which provides grants to businesses impacted by Helen in Buncombe County.

Hayden Plemmons, director of the Asheville Downtown Association, and the Downtown Association are planning events to attract business.

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“We are very excited to launch a winter program downtown,” Plemmons said. “For the first time in a long time, the city center will be lit for the holidays.”

“The winter window competition returns this year; instead of a parade, we’re going to have a holiday rally—there’s a lot to look forward to this holiday season,” she said.

Restaurants are also having difficulty reopening without access to potable water.

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“We anticipate that once drinking water returns to downtown, it will really be a renaissance for our downtown restaurants,” Plemmons said.

The Med Scratch Diner has been open for about a week. It uses bottled water for drinks and cooking, and the SThe &W Cafeteria has been closed for about a month but has announced plans to reopen on November 1st.

“Most of our retailers are open, you can check their website to see if they’re open, we’re also giving out orange balloons where people can say, ‘Oh okay, business is open, come in and do your holiday shopping early,'” — Plemmons. said. “We’re trying to come together to create an experience downtown that will attract locals, attract visitors from the region, attract day trippers.”

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