CARTERET COUNTY — Atlantic Beach businesses are making progress toward recovery after Hurricane Florence.

Seventeen months ago, the hurricane damaged the DoubleTree by Hilton, forcing it closed until recently.

With room for hundreds of guests and convention space, local businesses hope this means the island is nearing a full recovery.

“The first winter was very, very bad,” said Don Dixon, manager of Kites Unlimited. “And last summer was better. It wasn’t a record-breaker, but it was much better. We could feel it getting better every day.”

He estimates Kites Unlimited sales are down about 20-percent since Florence.

“Last year started slow and then built, and built, and built. This year we think we’ll start more normally, and hopefully, we’ll continue to build,” said Dixon.

Now that the DoubleTree, which is just down the road, is open for business, he is hopeful for a busy summer.