VILAS, N.C. — Recovery efforts continue for communities across western North Carolina that were hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

Communities are in different stages of recovery, with some towns welcoming visitors as businesses try to bounce back after losing income during what was supposed to be the mountain region’s peak season.

One of those businesses is Shipley Farms in Vilas, North Carolina.

The farm has been operating in Watauga County for over 150 years, raising pasture-fed cattle since 1872.

While the farm has navigated many challenges, fifth-generation farmer Gray Shipley says he didn’t the extent of destruction from Helene.

“We were completely unprepared, anticipated it was going to be a rainy day and the water started coming up here in the creek, and it just kind of kept coming up," Shipley said. "So I didn't think that this could even flood, but it came up and flooded our farm store here.”

The storm flooded the farm’s store and two driveways on their property, it damaged roofs on rental units they own and caused several landslides.

“That was our store and our office, and then we didn't realize how bad it was until the next day,” he said.

But as they rebuild, it’s the loss of income that’s now creating a bigger impact as the farm’s sales dropped to nothing in the weeks after the storm.

“October's kind of our Christmas in terms of the traffic that you tend to get in this tourist season, and so all of that is mostly lost,” Shipley said. “It's a real challenge to keep the store going and figure out how to replace the revenue lost from our Asheville restaurants that are closed and some other local restaurants that are closed for a little while, at least.”

Despite the progress they’ve made to rebuild, the challenges are not over yet.

Shipley Farms is in its recovery phase, needing support from the community to keep business running. But as many areas of western North Carolina are still only open to essential travel, Shipley is worried it’ll deter customers from visiting businesses like his that need the support.

“For us as a business, the challenge is dealing with all of this and still trying to run the business and still getting back up and letting people know that we're here, letting people know that we're open, letting people know we can still do tours and receive traffic. In fact, we need it now probably more than ever,” he said.

The farm is open for business and welcoming visitors for tours, and for those unable to make it to the farm in person, delivery options are available.

“We've got to get back to having jobs and businesses that are open to be self-sustaining, so that's the critical next step,” Shipley said. “Farming is hard on a normal day but I think the history and the legacy and, you know, keeping going what's been started here a long time ago, we want to carry it on.”

To support western North Carolina farmers like Shipley Farms affected by Helene, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will host a vendor fair at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market where residents can shop for seasonal harvest and handcrafted goods.

The event will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. For more information, go here.

For more information on Shipley Farms, go here.