Helene Aftermath | Asheville businesses seek regional support for post-Helene recovery

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Asheville Downtown Association said downtown businesses are depending on people from across western North Carolina to show their support as they begin to reopen after Helene.

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

In response, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority has opened applications for them Always Asheville Fund, which provides grants to businesses affected by Helene in Buncombe County.

Hayden Plemmons, executive director of the Asheville Downtown Association, and the Downtown Association plan events to bring in business.

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“We are very excited to launch a Winter in Downtown program,” said Plemmons. “For the first time in a long time, Christmas lights will be on in the city center.”

“The winter window competition is coming back this year; we’re going to have a holiday jamboree in place of the parade – there’s a lot to look forward to this holiday season,” she said.

Restaurants are also facing difficulties in reopening without access to drinking water.

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“We expect that once drinking water returns to downtown, this will truly be a rebirth of our downtown restaurants,” Plemmons said.

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

“Most of our retailers are open. You can check their website to see if they’re open. We also gave out orange balloons for people to say, oh okay, it’s open and come by and do your Christmas shopping early,” Plemmons said. “We’re trying to kind of come together to create downtown experiences that will attract locals, regional visitors and day trippers.”

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