Residents woke up to the news of a deliberate explosion of a recreational vehicle. The impact tore into Second Avenue, a street full of historic buildings. About 41 businesses in the area were damaged.
The couple has owned Simply the Best since 2011, a trinkets and souvenir shop regularly visited by tourists. They moved their Ensemble Nashville boutique next door in March.
Peter Gibson, owner of Pride and Glory Tattoo, is their neighbor in the same street and his business has also suffered significant damage.
“This year has been tough,” Gibson told CNN’s Natasha Chen. “It was obviously a bit off compared to normal. But if we get a little light at the end of the tunnel, it all disappears within two seconds.”
Owners are hopeful for state aid. Meanwhile, GoFundMe accounts help businesses and employees.
Try to understand the devastation
Sandy Lee told CNN they were shocked by photos of the damage and they had to use a map to identify their own businesses. She said they could not see their businesses yet and that they would not be able to do so for 7-10 days, and only if the buildings were stable.
“From the corners and photos we got first, we tried to count shops, to recognize something from the iconic old buildings,” she said. “We tried to count back.”
The day after the blast, the couple thought their business was done. But after seeing feedback from community members and previous customers, it made them think they could rebuild, according to Sandy.
“We lived on savings this year, we made staff work and pay as much as we could, we paid all our bills and rent. We own all our stock, what’s left over and you know, made sacrifices to make sure to make it open every day so that staff can work because they need money. ‘
Both Gibson and the Lees closed for a few months due to the coronavirus pandemic and reopened at the beginning of the summer. But they have not yet seen how many customers they were used to.
“There’s nothing meaningful about this,” Gibson said. “Just try to wrap my head around each piece of it. As I keep saying, one foot in front of the other, just to take every day, moment by moment.”
How to help
Even though GIbson and the Lees have lost most of their buildings, with the encouragement of others, they say they are determined to rebuild.
“It seems appropriate to have federal aid to get these businesses back on their feet,” Mayor John Cooper said on CNN’s “New Day.”
What federal aid might look like is unclear at this point.
According to owner Ryan Kroon, the company has raised $ 50,000 so far.
“We wanted to be the first time to raise our hand,” Kroon said. “The reaction was crazy, it knocked me out.”
CNN’s Natasha Chen contributed to this report.