Brian Fetting and his childhood best friend Dan Juhnke put more than just their savings into their business, New Origin Brewing – they put their heart and soul into it. They personally renovated the historic building, learned woodworking and welding, and even made the tables and chairs that filled the space.
When the craft brewery opened in 2021, it quickly became a hub for locals and tourists alike. “People started as strangers, turned into regulars, then turned into friends – it was an incredible community to be a part of,” Fetting told USA TODAY. Tourists often stopped by to sample the local small local brews, which were not distributed or found anywhere else. “You could tell it’s not a commercial operation,” he explained.
When the brewers first heard about Hurricane Helene, they spent two days preparing for it, dumping thousands of pounds of sandbags into the sandbags, but still expecting a flood at the brewery. “We went to bed that night happy with our hard work,” he said. “It’s a bad situation, but maybe we can get through it.”
The morning Helene struck, September 27, New Origin quickly disappeared. All that remained of the brewery was a pile of blocks and twisted metal. Floodwaters swept away a train car and crashed into the brewery.
Hurricane Helene is considered one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the US in modern times, leaving unprecedented devastation in its wake. Although the Category 4 hurricane weakened to a tropical storm by the time it hit North Carolina, it still brought deadly flooding, heavy rainfall and high winds. The death toll passed 200 on Thursday and thousands of people are still without power or water. Homes and businesses were flooded or seriously destroyed, if not completely.
Hikers urged to avoid parts of Appalachian Trail after damage to Helene
For those whose businesses are affected, the damage is twice as great. “It’s tough on businesses. It’s one of those things if you had a business that affected your home,” said Fetting, whose home was also damaged by a tree branch that fell through the roof into his living room. “There’s a lot to do. We hope we can keep our homes after this, after the dust settles. And it’s really scary.”
Now, the small business owners that make up the heart of Asheville – intertwined with its vibrancy and unique character – are facing unprecedented challenges and incredible losses. Many of them have lost not only their homes, but also their livelihoods. Amid all the uncertainty, one thing is clear: the road to recovery will be long.
A hurricane like no other
Everyone knew a hurricane was coming, but no one thought Helene would be so catastrophic.
In recent years, Asheville has become an emerging travel destination, beloved for its eccentric arts and culture scene and especially by leaf-peeping enthusiasts in the fall with the many nearby parks. In 2023, travelers spent a record amount of money on savings in Buncombe County, which includes Asheville. About one in seven jobs are related to the tourism industry, according to a survey by Tourism Economics to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.
“We’ve encountered hurricanes before, we’re well aware that hurricanes hit and it would come through and it would happen on an annual basis, but this one was just very different,” Fetting said.
The night before the storm hit, Shane and Rachel Miller closed their ax throwing venue, Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing, a little early to get home safely. “It was just when we heard that this was going to be a lot worse than normal, and that still doesn’t tell us anything about what happened,” Shane Miller said.
Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing not only brought together a community of ax throwers, but was also a place where many wandering tourists stopped by to spontaneously try the sport.
Valhalla Indoor Ax Throwing, located in the Asheville Mall, the largest shopping center in western North Carolina with dozens of specialty stores, is not expected to reopen until a month at the earliest, at least until water and power are restored. “That’s a healthy estimate, a very optimistic estimate,” he said.
“Communities in western North Carolina, including Asheville and Buncombe County, are recovering from the devastating flooding and aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Vic Isley, CEO of Explore Asheville, said in a statement to USA TODAY. “While our downtown, accommodation and much of our hospitality infrastructure have been doing well, most areas remain without power and water supplies, and the early stages of recovery are underway in parts of our beloved community.”
‘This is definitely going to hurt’
The chances of a New Origin rebuild are unlikely at this point. Due to city codes, it is not possible for the building to be rebuilt as it once was. “It’s not a feasible project, we’re stuck in this place,” Fetting said. Flood insurance only covers about a third of what was lost, but their debts to the bank remain.
“We will have to find a way to pay back the bank without assets to sell and with a large bank loan,” he said. Fetting and Juhnke recently launched a $300,000 GoFundMe project asking for donations so they don’t have to sell their homes.
Countless other businesses were torn to the ground or even if they were still standing, everything inside was destroyed.
For Shane Miller, the hardest part of the recovery process is “watching so many of our friends within this community, within days of this storm, make the decision that they will not reopen.”
With leaf peeping being an important time of year for Asheville’s tourism economy, the city will feel the loss of travelers. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway and portions of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are closed indefinitely due to the impact of the hurricane, with damage still being assessed. “This is definitely going to hurt,” Isley said. “Our hearts and minds are now focused on supporting our community and laying the foundation for recovery in the days and months ahead.”
Supporting the community
In the immediate aftermath, the Asheville community has come together to help each other. The city is in a cleanup phase – clearing debris or distributing supplies and resources – especially in rural areas, which are only accessible by unpaved roads.
“Businesses from manufacturing to hospitality need water and power to survive, just like residents. It’s heartbreaking, but we won’t be broken,” Isley said.
Miller said he and Rachel feel fortunate compared to the rest of Asheville’s small business community. Rachel’s other job at the nonprofit United Way helped the couple help with the cleanup. But it’s been “difficult to process what’s going on,” Miller said, with emotions surfacing “depending on the time of day.”
Miller hopes Asheville travelers and supporters can continue to help the community by donating supplies or doing recovery efforts. Some organizations to support include the Salvation Army of Asheville, MANNA FoodBank and United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, according to Explore Asheville.
Fetting agrees there’s a lot to do, but seeing everyone come together — whether it’s handing out food and water, donating to GoFundMe or helping clean up a small business — is “incredible.”
“Keep an eye on Asheville and come back when the city is ready,” Fetting said. “The city welcomes you back with open arms.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Helene reset tourism in Asheville, but don’t count out the city
