LANSING, N.C. — Shelby Tramel has owned the Old Orchard Creek General Store for around a year after moving from Texas to North Carolina and then falling in love with Lansing.

What You Need To Know

  • The Old Orchard Creek General Store is open again in Lansing

  • The business suffered major damage during Helene

  • This is the first business in the area to be able to open back up since the storm

"This is a 100-year flood zone that my store sits in, so the likelihood of a flood my first year of ownership is crazy odds," Tramel said.

Those odds were not in her favor in September when this street looked like a lake.

"I kind of entered into this owner panic mode of what can I save, so I tried to run around the store grabbing things. I grabbed like tech and grabbed them up stairs and this whole building has four electrical panels, so I was running around trying to shut off the electrical panels as well so the water did get really high before I realized I needed to get out of here myself," Tramel said.

There was 30 feet of water behind her building and 5 feet inside.

"Every single piece of furniture was picked up by the water, including commercial refrigeration. Everything was toppled over," Tramel said.

Everything else was torn out and is brand new. She worked with dozens of volunteers to get the store back in shape. It opened again Dec. 14.

"This place is a really special place in the community. I knew it meant more than me and my business reopening," Tramel said.

It's a central meeting place for the community, serving coffee, wine and beer with a small retail place inside. She says the coffee shop is the biggest draw.

"It has kind of always served as a singular spot that just welcomes everybody. Whether you are a local or tourist, everyone walks in these doors and feels welcome. To have the continuity of a place like that is just valuable beyond explanation," Tramel said.

The store is now a symbol of hope that businesses may come back soon, and residents can survive Helene.

"It's one of the only business of its type here, and that's what it is like in a small town like this. Every small business has an impact, because it's the only of its kind. When you lose the only grocery store in town it has an even bigger impact in a small town like this. Same with the pizza restaurant. We don't have 10 backup pizza restaurants to go to," Tramel said.