Gov. Josh Stein, while touring newly reopened businesses in downtown Marshall on Thursday pushed state legislators to fund more small business recovery grants.
The town’s Main Street was buried under feet of water and mud from the neighboring French Broad River after Hurricane Helene. Business owners and volunteers spent weeks shoveling the debris from their stores. Then came the rebuilding.
During a walking tour downtown, Stein saw some buildings stripped to their frames with workers inside installing new walls, flooring and utilities. Others were left barely standing with temporary fencing around them. Still, some businesses like Shady Side Florists propped their door open.
“It means a lot to us that he took the time out of his busy schedule to come and show his support for us,” Joan Davis, the shop’s co-owner, said. “Unfortunately, there's a lot of people that don't realize either maybe how bad everyone was hit or they just think, ‘Oh, a month went by, everybody's great’ when we're still not great.”
Davis’ shop is full of fragrant flowers arranged for every occasion, from Mother’s Day to funerals. There is some shelving left, but the store is still a shell of a building seven months after the storm.
Speaking to reporters inside the shop, Stein called on the General Assembly to fund grants for businesses like Davis’.
“ They need more help. The amount of loss that they experienced was so great, and many of them were carrying debt when they were operating their business before they got washed down the river,” Stein said. “They can't take on more debt, so let's give them a grant. Let's help them restock their shelves, fix their plate glass windows, redo their floors. All the things that they need to do so that they are ready to welcome tourists this summer.”
The money for grants – the governor said he plans to request upwards of $100 million from state lawmakers – would add to the $55 million allocated by the state for small businesses in March. The state partnered with Dogwood Health Trust and Duke Energy Foundation to distribute that money to about 2,100 small businesses.
Shady Side Florists received a $25,000 grant from the program.
“ That saved us,” David Caldwell, who co-owns the flower shop, said. “It helped pay salaries. It helped re-buy everything that was washed away. That was God-sent.”
