HELENE UPDATE
The staff transformed their store into a hub for collecting and dis- tributing essential supplies, from water filters and headlamps to stoves, blankets, and boots; it also served as a makeshift water-filling station for the community. “This time wasn’t about profit,” Perkins says. “It was about neigh- bor helping neighbor.” Perkins also launched a fundraising effort with “Western North Carolina Strong” shirts and sweatshirts, donating 100% of proceeds—nearly $20,000—to help neighboring small businesses rebuild. Beyond her store, local restaurants cooked hundreds of meals for communities with- out power, and other retailers reopened months later with shared fixtures and peer support. “Everyone just stepped up,” she says. “Public agencies, nonprofits, businesses—people came together without hesitation.” Footsloggers: Community, and a Record-Breaking Comeback In Boone, Footsloggers’ staff re- calls the first days after Helene as chaotic. Roads, bridges, and com- munications were down, leaving some employees stranded. “It was very strange to come home to devastation but not be here for when it actually happened,” says senior buyer Laura Fly.
GOOD DEEDS: Footsloggers focused on helping the community— and saw customers return.
a 143-year-old company, closed permanently after the storm. For those that remained, the question wasn’t just how to reopen and stay afloat—it was how to stay relevant while remaining commit- ted to the communities they serve. D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors: Pivoting From Sales to Survival In Brevard, owner Dee Dee Perkins watched the hurricane obliterate one of D.D. Bullwinkel’s busiest seasons. “October is usually our second-highest revenue month of the year,” she says. “We lost our entire fall season.” Though the store escaped ma- jor damage, the financial toll was immediate. With power and cell service down, Perkins and her staff pivoted from retail to relief. They listed essential items—wa- ter filters, stoves, blankets—and started calling vendors for do- nations or discounts. Truckloads of supplies soon moved into the hardest-hit areas: insulated coats from The North Face, water filters from Grail, sleeping bags from Rumpl, boots from Merrell, and even 10,000 pairs of socks from a single brand.
After the Storm A year after Helene, guides, retailers, and gear makers are finding new ways to stay afloat—and building a stronger outdoor community in the process. By Hannah Truby
I n late September 2024, Hur- ricane Helene ripped through Western North Carolina, upending the land and stilling the economy of a region built on the outdoors. Rivers like the Nolichucky and French Broad were reshaped by force: access points washed out, railroad tracks damaged, household debris scat- tered along the bedrock. Dozens of outfitters on the Pigeon, French Broad, and Nolichucky rivers paused operations, leaving com- munities that depend on outdoor recreation suddenly adrift.
For the region’s local outfitters, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Many businesses were en- tering their busiest months, when autumn tourists flood the moun- tains and retailers thrive. Outdoor recreation in this area supports roughly 29,000 jobs and generates more than $2.9 billion in visitor spending annually. Statewide, North Carolina’s broader outdoor economy added $16.2 billion in value and 145,433 jobs in 2023—a nearly 10% increase from the year before. For some, the impact was devastating: Diamond Brand Gear,
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