Twister-hit businesses take stock

Retailers in Mayflower, up to 85% in Vilonia decimated

Robert Perkins (top) and Ken Sullivan, owner of Wet Willy’s Super Auto Wash at 1725 Main St. in Vilonia, clean up storm damage Thursday.
Robert Perkins (top) and Ken Sullivan, owner of Wet Willy’s Super Auto Wash at 1725 Main St. in Vilonia, clean up storm damage Thursday.

VILONIA - Kieth McCord’s slightly damaged service station was the gathering spot for donations and volunteers helping others after the 2011 tornado, but this week dozens of people went to the station to help him.




RELATED ARTICLES

http://www.arkansas…">Winds tossed cars hundreds of yardshttp://www.arkansas…">County starts debris pickuphttp://www.arkansas…">How to helphttp://www.arkansas…">Floridians mopping up as waters recede

When Sunday’s tornado - which damaged more than 3,000 houses and businesses - swept through, it mangled parts of Kieth’s Service Center. It also broke windows and destroyed most of his inventory.

“My customers and friends, the dust settled, and they were here,” McCord said. “I’ve been open for 30 years, moved over to this location 17 years ago. This community pulls together. It’s just unbelievable.”

On Thursday, McCord was working to get a generator running and was searching for a hose. His wife was collecting their business license and other documents from the store’s counter. Their children were running errands to help out.

All week in Vilonia and Mayflower, business owners tried to piece their businesses back together.

photo

Cindy Eason takes pictures in the rubble Thursday of her Innovation Hair and Tanning business at 1086 Main St. in Vilonia.

In Mayflower, there isn’t a central business district. But a burgeoning pocket of stores along Arkansas 365 was hit directly by the tornado and was severely damaged.

In Vilonia, the central business district along Main Street was mostly destroyed. Officials estimated that between 65 percent and 85 percent of businesses had major damage or complete destruction.

Several businesses that were still standing in both cities reopened Wednesday and Thursday. Owners of others that were more damaged said it could take several days, weeks or even months for them to reopen. Some said the tornado may put them out of business.

Less than 12 hours after the storm, Jackie Fowlkes looked out over what used to be her realty office on Main Street in Vilonia.

“There was a big sign right here with a brick front,” she said, pointing to a bare slab of concrete and turning toward the ruins of her business, Vilonia Realty.

As Fowlkes salvaged what she could, she said she planned to work out of her home for now.

On Thursday, she was working to clear debris, but her plans were starting to develop. Workers in other realty offices, normally competitors, had called to offer her desks, chairs and other equipment that she might need while she rebuilds.

“That’s been amazing,” she said. “But we’re still trying to figure out if we can stay in the same spot or if we need to think about moving.”

Fowlkes had owned the building that was destroyed for about seven years. And as Main Street - which is also U.S. 64B - has been widened over the years, she’s lost property to easements. Now, she and the owners of at least one other business might have problems meeting a city requirement that buildings be set back from the roadway a certain number of feet.

“We are still working through all of that. Frankly, other things have taken priority for right now,” she said.

Next door, Stanley Gordon owns an insurance and investment company. Gordon, his family and several neighbors took shelter in the building’s basement during the storm. They found the building destroyed when they climbed out.

He said he’s moving forward with building in the same spot, but until that can happen, he’ll open a temporary office in a trailer on the site.

“We’ve heard rumors about an issue with the Highway Department, but we don’t anticipate it being a problem,” Gordon said. “We want to reopen, and we want to reopen here.”

This week, the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services opened a temporary station at Mayflower High School and another at Beryl Baptist Church in Vilonia to help business owners and workers file for unemployment benefits. Once the applications are approved, it will take 14-21 days for people to start receiving payments, a spokesman said.

Department of Finance and Administration officials said owners of damaged businesses should contact the department to arrange late payments of sales and use taxes to avoid incurring interest or penalties.

Members of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission also have been meeting to discuss how to help businesses if they decide to reopen.

Vilonia Chamber of Commerce executive Jill Bonnema said the chamber has rented storage space in town and is asking for donations of office furniture, supplies and other equipment. So far, banks have donated furniture. Some national stores are working to donate cases of paper, and several national chains are considering donating gift cards so businesses can buy supplies, she said.

“The big thing is we can’t afford to lose this many businesses,” Bonnema said. “Our main goal is to do what we can to make sure these businesses stay, that they reopen here in Vilonia and that our tax base, our schools and our people don’t suffer more from that loss of business.”

Bonnema said 40 of the city’s roughly 75 businesses were destroyed in the storm.

Vilonia Mayor James Firestone said city officials have been cleaning up debris and getting utilities working again.

“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for them to get back to normal,” he said. “This was devastating. There were 183 structures with severe damage in Vilonia city limits, and more than 100 of those were destroyed.”

In Mayflower, Mayor Randy Holland said he had been going business to business assessing needs.

“Mayflower RV is totally all tore to pieces. That was one of our main businesses,” Holland said.

He said some of the town’s larger businesses had reopened midweek, including Fred’s Pharmacy and the Harp’s grocery store.

Out front of Lumber 1 Home Center, a sign read “Lumber 1 strong. We are open.” The store and nearby millworks shop received some of the town’s worst damage on Arkansas 365.

Across Interstate 40, workers at Mayflower RV said they didn’t know how long it would take to clean up the twisted steel beams and motor homes that were tossed about by the tornado.

Steven Ford, the shop foreman at the RV dealership, spent Thursday morning picking up tools and parts that were still usable.

“We’re getting anything out of here to keep it away from looters,” he said. “Our technicians’ tools are scattered all over. Some are probably in Vilonia.”

The shop and more than 50 RVs were destroyed in the tornado, including some that belonged to customers and were at the shop for repairs, he said.

“It’s totaled. Everything’s totaled out here,” Ford said.

John Ward, the company’s director of operations, said he was still waiting to hear from his insurance companies, after which he can start removing the wreckage. In the meantime, the mechanics and office staff at the Mayflower location had moved to the company’s Sherwood location.

“We’re trying to keep everybody on here and off unemployment,” he said.

The company’s Sherwood location usually has five technicians, but with the added staff from Mayflower, there were 12 ready to work on RVs on Thursday, Ward said.

“We’ve got no waiting time,” he said.

The RV dealership’s mechanics weren’t the only ones who lost their shop and tools.

John Smith rented one of the bays at the dealership for his auto-repair shop, The Wrenchmen.

Smith had moved into the location about 10 months ago.

“I fully intend on reopening, but I’m not sure where yet,” Smith said. He lost more than $40,000 in tools, nearly all of which were uninsured, he said.

His house also was damaged, but not as badly as others in his neighborhood. Some of his friends in Vilonia lost everything, he said.

“I still have my memories. I still have my keepsakes. I still have my home. This is just tools. This is just work,” Smith said.

In Vilonia, McCord said his first thought after the storm was making sure his neighbors were safe. He helped remove debris and dig out several people trapped in homes or businesses.

He was proud of his son Jordan McCord, who before the storm hit had run to a neighboring chicken restaurant and got its two employees to the safety of the service station’s reinforced office.

“I’m so glad he did that. He probably saved their lives.

“This is my home. We’ll rebuild, but in the meantime, everyone is safe,” McCord said.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 05/02/2014

Upcoming Events