North Carolina business owner crafts a new path after Helene

YANCEY CO, N.C. — A small business owner in Yancey County is trying to bounce back during her busiest season after losing her shop and inventory during Helene. 

Christy Edwards is the owner of Christy’s Crafts and had a shop for 17 years across the Cane River in the Pensacola community. It held all her inventory and great memories.

“I talked to my customers on the front porch a lot. Waved at a lot of friends and neighbors, and I’m going to miss it terribly,” Edwards said. 

The retired art teacher recalls the day of the storm, seeing the floodwaters surround the building before wiping it out in the blink of an eye. 

“I turned and I looked, and my shop was gone. I didn’t see it because we had water in the basement,” Edwards said. 

The shop, which was on her property, was on lower ground than her house. 

“The river came across over here. That little creek was flowing out all of this gravel so it was like a churning mess,” Edwards said. 

Now, only a meter box stands where the building used to be. 

“It’s like losing a piece of my heart. This is what I did every day of my life, come here and meet people and create,” Edwards said.

She said she lost $100,000 altogether and the location where she hosted her Christmas Open House. 

“This was helping me pay for my daughter’s college. This was helping me just to live. Things are so much more expensive now,” Edwards said. 

Mid-November she was working around the clock to make up for lost inventory as she prepared for three holiday markets, including Vintage Market Days of Asheville Metro. 

The event, which will take place Nov. 22-24 is expected to bring 130 vendors to the WNC Agricultural Center. Organizers say half of them are from the region and part of the proceeds will benefit the River Arts District in Asheville. 

Edwards is also moving forward with hosting two Christmas craft shows with local vendors at the Burnsville Town Center. The Holly Jolly Market will be on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Then, on Dec. 7, she will host the Christmas Ornament Craft Show. 

“It’s very important to have this and to keep things going, being normal again,” Edwards said.

She’s not sure if she’ll rebuild her shop again because she worries she could lose it again.