BOONE, N.C. — As the cold creeps in and efforts continue to restore power, Boone businesses are in survival mode after Helene hit.
Many closed after Helene came through, tourism is a must for the town to get back on their feet. A new restaurant on King Street is trying to walk that balance of understanding the situation but needing business to return.
"This is where initially where the water and mud happened and destroyed our kitchen," Ben Burns, co-owner of Taco Boone-Dó, said, showing WCNC Charlotte's Colin Mayfield the damage.
Helene didn’t just wash away entire homes, businesses and lives, but also nearly took out dreams of local entrepreneurs like Burns and co-owner Cole Kernstiane who just opened the taco restaurant in August.
"Right as we were getting a feel for running this business and what it meant to be in this community, Helene rocked our world," Kernstiane revealed.
This Baja-style restaurant was a dream for the longtime friends, but it's been closed since Helene came through. The co-owners said it's been a struggle to get back to normal – or as normal as they can with the circumstances.
But they said the community has wrapped its arms around the new restaurant, and that mindset is helping Burns and Kernstiane push through.
"We want people to gain a sense of normalcy back in this area," Kernstiane said.
Both of them know this is a long haul, like much of the rebuilding process. They realize though if tourism doesn’t come back to places like Boone in western North Carolina, many small businesses will cease to exist. Despite the difficult road ahead, both men want to be with their community every step of the way.
"With time, we will come back and be stronger than ever!" Burns assured Mayfield.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.