CRAMERTON, N.C. (Queen City News) — Businesses in downtown Cramerton reopened in time for the weekend after being forced to close for three days.
Wednesday storm It also included a tornado. Destroyed the power of the Gaston County community.
This week has been tough to get through at Floyd & Blackie's Bakery, Coffee and Ice Cream Shop.
“Oh, this is not good for small businesses,” said owner Kathy Ramsey.
Billboards on Center Street have been posted one after the other with the same message telling customers the store is closed due to a power outage.
“The power flashed and I thought, stop it, stop it. The power went out, and the vendor looked at me. They're like, 'Is that bad?' what does it look like? I said it was a tornado,” said Justin Alemia, owner of the Public House in Mayworth.
Floyd & Blackie's scrambled to find another store that would lend them a freezer for some of their baked goods.
“Thankfully, we had a generator that saved the ice cream,” Ramsey said.
But what we didn't save was the loss of income.
“We rent kayaks here and on the South Fork River right down the street, but we can't do that without power,” said Eric Smallwood, deputy director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.
Mayworth Public House was purchased by new owners just last week.
“It hurts, it really hurts, especially when it's new, but we're hoping to get through it,” Alemia said.
Now that the lights are back on, it's perfect timing for the big weekend. The weather is nice and it seems perfect for going out.
“We have several parties booked for this weekend, and we have a very large Mother's Day brunch planned for Sunday,” Ramsey said.
Confluence, a center run by the Catawba River Conservancy, will begin its kayak rental season on Saturday.
“This is definitely a hotspot for paddlers and people who like to listen to music and see art on the weekends,” Smallwood said.
They are all back in business. Floyd & Blackie's would like to thank Gaston Couty for his enthusiastic support from his Sammy's Neighborhood Pub and freezer space.
“We'll all be receiving free cake soon,” Ramsay said with a laugh.
They hope to be able to make up for lost revenue, knowing that there are things out of their control.
“It's just Mother Nature and she's in complete control of what she's doing,” Ramsey said.