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Post-Helene, Asheville navigates its needs for recovery and tourism

Nov 14, 2024
Small business owners struggling after the storm hope visitors will return and bring some patience with them.
The Grand Bohemian Hotel, a popular tourist attraction in Asheville, is closed while damage to the property is assessed, according to its Instagram account.
Gerard Albert/Blue Ridge Public Radio

After Hurricane Helene washed away her tea business, she's calmly working to rebuild

Nov 13, 2024
"It is going to take funding, and it is going to take a lot of support," says Jessie Dean, owner of Asheville Tea Co. in North Carolina.
Jessie Dean (second from right), owner of Asheville Tea Co., works with chrysanthemums harvested after the storm.
Courtesy Jessie Dean

Hurricane Helene ruined her business, but she finds hope in community and a PB&J

Nov 1, 2024
Hannah Burnisky, owner of Cold Mountain Art Collective, talks about how the hurricane destroyed her business and how she plans to rebuild.
Hannah Burnisky stands in front of her business, Cold Mountain Art Collective, before the water receded.
Courtesy Hannah Burnisky

How one North Carolina farm is coping post-Helene

Oct 18, 2024
The team at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, outside of Asheville, has made significant progress cleaning up storm-related debris.
Selling to restaurants makes up a large portion of Hickory Nut Gap Farm's business. But many in the area have been closed since the storm hit.
Alice Wilder/Marketplace

How Asheville, N.C., businesses are navigating a weekslong water crisis

Oct 17, 2024
More than two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated its water system, the city is still without clean running water.
Heidi Bass, co-owner of Mother in downtown Asheville, with a cistern of water outside the business. The bakery and cafe can’t legally sell food without clean water.
Laura Hackett/Blue Ridge Public Radio

After a flat August, this North Carolina toy store is already looking forward to the holidays

Sep 14, 2023
For this toy store owner, the biggest challenge right now is prepping for the holidays.
"We are selling a lot of Halloween products right now," said Irene Kesselman, owner of Ali Cat Toys in Carrboro, NC. "And certainly we'll move into the Christmas season shortly thereafter."
Ariel Jackson

Removing a dam, reconnecting communities

Apr 7, 2023
Dismantling a century-old barrier in North Carolina would reopen a river, restore species and benefit Indian land. But will it be funded?
Joey Owle of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians helped bring partners together in the effort to remove the Ela Dam — if the project gets federal funding.
David Boraks/WFAE

For public good, not for profit.

Weathering the economic storm, this small-business owner remains optimistic

Feb 6, 2023
Like other retail businesspeople, Amelia Freeman-Lynde of Durham, North Carolina, has grappled with supply chain and staffing issues.
Amelia Freeman-Lynde owns Freeman's Creative, a craft shop in Durham, North Carolina. "Not only is it year over year been a really different business, but every month,” she says.
Jade Wilson/Courtesy Freeman-Lynde

In this North Carolina toy shop, business is up — including back orders

Jul 9, 2021
Irene Kesselman, owner of Ali Cat Toys, describes how back orders are taking up more of her time.
Ali Cat Toys is a much busier place than it was in 2020.
Courtesy Irene Kesselman

Apple will spend more than $1 billion on new campus in North Carolina's Triangle

Apr 26, 2021
The move's all about attracting talent — a lot of it.
Apple's North Carolina branch may attract workers who don't want to live in San Francisco or New York City.
Eric Thayer/Getty Images