Marshall sees small business comeback after Hurricane Helene

Last fall, communities across western North Carolina were devastated by Hurricane Helene. A year later, the town of Marshall has reopened and is forging a path forward.

On Sept. 27, 2024, flood waters from Hurricane Helene raged through downtown Marshall from the French Broad River. The storm produced four to five months worth of rain in just three days.

In the storm’s wake, stores were damaged, filled with mud left by the raging waters. Some buildings were destroyed altogether. The town, like many in the region, was briefly cut off from the world, and its businesses closed—many for more than five months after the storm.

In early May, downtown Marshall had a reopening featuring “Marshall Magic Days” with festivities that supported the community’s restaurants, shops, and businesses.

A town of just around 800 people and located just 30 minutes north of Asheville, Marshall offers visitors a quintessential western North Carolina experience.

While the town is reopened for business, uncertainty about its future remains, and community members are doing all they can to support the town they love.

Cardinal & Pine spoke with four small business owners as they navigate the post-Helene reality and support their community in forging a path forward.

Local hangouts that foster community

For over twenty years, Joel Friedman has operated Zuma Coffee on the corner of North Main Street and Bailey’s Branch Road. He provides an essential service every community needs: a place to meet friends and family, to work, and, critically, to drink great coffee.

But it closed for seven months due to Helene.

“We had eight foot two inches of water inside the shop. Everything was completely devastated. We had to start from scratch,” he said.

Friedman told Cardinal & Pine the total cost of reopening was nearly $400,000.00, which he funded with the support of private grants and a Go Fund Me campaign.

Today, visitors will find customers have returned and a great cup of joe at Zuma. In the three months since reopening, Friedman says things are going well.

“We’re experiencing great business right now between the tourists, the volunteers, and the community,” he said. “It has been an amazing reopening.”

Just a few doors down from Zuma is Mad Co. Brew House, the first brewery in both Marshall and Madison County. The spot. has been owned and operated by Rhesa Edwards and her husband Brandon since it first opened in October 2016, providing locally brewed beer.

Edwards explained that eight feet of water rushed through the building from Helene, leaving costly repairs in her wake, with only the pizza oven surviving. As a result, Mad Co. was closed for six months.

“The biggest thing we need right now is tourism. We have a great amount of locals that come out and support us, but just the town in general needs tourism,” she said.

Visitors are a main source of revenue for many western North Carolina communities, including Marshall. Prior to Helene, tourism brought in around $7.7 billion dollars to the region.

Making a difficult situation even worse, Helene hit as leaves were peaking in the western region, erasing needed revenue many local businesses depend on. For those who visit now, Edwards says the town has so much to offer them.

“Our town is open. We have shops and restaurants, and all kinds of things to offer here in downtown Marshall,” she said.

A close knit community that helps one another

Hurricane Helene caused tens of billions of dollars in damages, taking the lives of over 100 people, and displaced thousands from their homes. It is an event that will be remembered for generations in this region.

Given the long road ahead, uncertainty remains. So does hope.

Lindy Paz co-owns the Marshall House Inn, perched on a hill, accessible by driving up the narrow, winding, and appropriately named Hill Street, overlooks the town and river.

Paz took ownership of the inn along with her husband, three years ago, with the renovated Inn opening in early 2023.

Given its location, it was spared from the worst of the flood waters, but did face some damage which left it closed to visitors from the end of September until April of this year.

After Helene, the inn housed those displaced by Helene with support from FEMA.

“We were the only property in Marshall that was doing it the closest, otherwise there’s a property in Mars Hill twenty something minutes away, and for many people transportation was an issue,” she said.

In the four months since, she says bookings haven’t yet returned to pre-Helene levels but hopes that things will get better as people recognize the area’s charm.

“This is a lovely town to come visit. It’s a beautiful place. Still so many lovely natural trails, and they’ve done a great job of river cleanup,” she said.

Connie Molland is a founding owner of Flow Gallery on South Main Street, which opened its doors in 2010, alongside seven other local, female artists.

“We feature the work of about 70 artists, all of which are western North Carolina,” she said.

In spite of the damage and economic impact of Helene, Molland noted that three businesses have opened in town, pointing to the community’s resilience.

“They have been made to feel part of the community very quickly because of the sense of community that is within Marshall, but the other part is the people who feel that and want to support that,” she emphasized.

While uncertainty remains, with Marshall, and the region as a whole facing a years’-long recovery from Helene, Molland believes in Marshall’s future, inspired by a quote she recalled from another local after the storm.

“‘We were always friends before Helene, but we became family after.’”