Among the many post-Helene issues we’re having to deal with is: When is it OK to go back to normal things?

Don’t hate me for this, but the weekend before last I snuck out of town to play golf. I just needed a break from a month straight of volunteering somewhere every Saturday and fixing my own mess of a yard on Sundays.

Free advice for anyone with downed trees: Pay someone to grind the stumps. Or rent the biggest stump grinder on the market.

As my 26-year-old son told me about six hours into grinding, “I’ll never forgive you for not renting the big one.”

Hey, the insurance wasn’t paying.

Nestled among our slow, sometimes uncomfortable return to normalcy is the homecoming to our tourism-dominated economy, whether we’re tourism fans or not. Some may groan, but we really can’t fault the tourism industry for wanting visitors to come back, where it’s safe and makes sense.

We also cannot fault the artists, waiters, bartenders, hotel staff, retailers, musicians and thousands of other workers from wanting to be able to make some cash and pay the bills.

Explore Asheville, the tourism bureau that’s part of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, put out a recent release noting the Asheville area is “Reopening in stages and pockets.” It was tastefully done.

“Like the rest of our community, Explore Asheville has been heartbroken by the devastating losses from Hurricane Helene that our region has endured,” the release states. “And we are heartened by the gumption, grit, and sense of community of our people and place.”

It goes on to note that “many businesses and restaurants are reopening as widespread power and water service return. The Asheville Regional Airport is open and operating.”

Well, that water service, at least for Asheville customers, means highly chlorinated lake water that you can’t drink, but you can shower in it. So I guess you can call it a return of sorts.

It is important to note that downtown came through the Sept. 27 storm largely untouched, and West Asheville, the South Slope and other areas are in good shape. Some local towns such as Weaverville, Black Mountain and Hendersonville, among others, tout they’re open to tourists.

“Hendersonville is pleased to welcome back visitors,” Mayor Barbara Volk said in a recent news release. “Although we regret some of our businesses are still recovering from Helene’s impacts, the majority of shops, restaurants, and attractions are fully open and ready to offer their usual warmth and hospitality. Fall is usually a busy time here and we know how much visitors contribute to our local economy.”

Still, I’m ambivalent about all of this. It’s kind of like figuring out when it’s OK to joke again about a departed loved one, or go to a party, or do anything. Driving up to Marshall the other day, I was still astounded by just the absolute devastation the river caused, and the mess that remains in so many places.

But plenty of places came through OK, and businesses need that tourism stimulus. So maybe it is time to invite some guests back into the parlor.

Even some of the businesses in Asheville’s heavily damaged River Arts District remain open, and they’re encouraging visitors to come back down.

A slightly uncomfortable feeling

I stopped by and talked to a few artists Friday afternoon, noting that to me it seems a little uncomfortable, even a touch weird, to be pushing tourism after so much destruction. 

“I don’t think it’s weird at all,” Michael Hofman, who owns a porcelain studio and shop in the RAD, told me. “I think we all need to move on.”

He noted that in the River Arts District, anything between the river and the railroad was “basically wiped out.” That’s about 80 percent of the district.

“The buildings might be there, but they’re not inhabitable and won’t be for a while,” Hofman said. “So what’s happened is a lot of the artists who were in buildings like mine that weren’t damaged, we’ve adopted artists from that area.”

In other words, they’re trying to move on, to help people stay in business.

So under these extraordinary circumstances, I’m going to do something rare for me: promote tourism. Hey, I’ve always said it’s a double-edged sword that gives us so many wonderful opportunities (40 brewpubs in Buncombe County) that we wouldn’t have without the visitors.

This weekend the RAD artists will hold an art fair for fellow artists who were displaced. Called RADfest, the event will take place from noon till dusk Saturday and Sunday in the upper part of the district, above the railroad tracks. Artists who’ve been displaced will set up in tents in the Pine Gate Renewables parking lot (130 Roberts St.), and studios in other buildings will be open.

Swing on by, and buy something. They need it. Look for more information on Instagram on the riverartsdistrictasheville account.

Typically, October is a huge month for tourists, as the autumn leaves peak and visitors flock here by the millions. That translates into big business for local shops, studios, restaurants, bars, breweries and yes, hotels.

But this October was pretty much a wipeout.

Hofman said October usually accounts for 30 percent of his sales, and tourists drive those sales. The last four months of the year provide about half of his profit for the year, and about half of his business comes from tourists.

“People who are from nearby are coming in to specifically make purchases, to support artists and things like that, which I think is great,” Hofman said. “We can pay the rent on that, but that’s about it.”

Jeffrey Burroughs, president of the River Arts District Artists organization and a fine jeweler with a shop in the undisturbed part of the RAD, said flatly, “October is the No. 1 month out of the year where so many artists make their money.” As much as 90 percent of his business comes from tourism.

He noted that the remaining artists have to pay their bills, including rent. Burroughs found recently that his building is requiring rent in full, as well as utilities, for October, even though they had almost no foot traffic or sales.

‘I don’t think I’ve processed what’s happened yet’

“If you were to ask me, I don’t think I’ve processed what’s happened yet,” Burroughs said. “But the reality is, I don’t have a choice, because I have to pay rent.”

On Friday, artists Elise Okrend and Tricia Hargrove were sitting inside Okrend’s space in Wedge Studios, which survived unscathed. They both noted that October was a near-total bust for artists, and it should be the best month of the year.

They also said tourists are the district’s lifeblood. Okrend said as much as 75 percent of her business comes from visitors, Hargrove between 50 and 75 percent.

It is appropriate to urge the tourists to return, they said, but they also get that this remains a sensitive time. Hargrove noted that artists, like everyone else, have homes, and many of them sustained damage at their residences or their studios, and sometimes both. 

Some came through largely unscathed but continue to wrestle with survivors’ guilt.

“I think everybody’s got trauma to some extent,” said Hargrove, a painter. “And yes, I feel the survivors’ guilt and I’m grateful that my studio survived. But yeah, I just feel like everybody probably has some kind of trauma.”

Okrend pointed out that the RAD exists in its current state in large part because of tourists.

“I think that most people that are in the River Arts District are really here because of the tourism and because of the love of the arts, and specifically come here for it,” Okrend said. “So we are very dependent on that. All of our businesses have grown over the years because of the influx of tourism, because of the development of more arts and creative buildings and more artists coming in.”

The upshot?

“I think it’s critical that we do what we can to promote that we’re open now,” Okrend said. “We’re also trying to support the other artists that are displaced and that don’t have space in whatever ways we can.”

Okrend said it’s time for tourists to “start trickling back into the area, and especially for people that can do it for the day.

“So if you’re within an hour or two hours and you can come up and support us, that’s amazing,” she said.

Arts AVL, the local arts agency, commissioned a report that showed the RAD, pre-Helene, was generating $1 billion in sales annually and supporting 8,500 jobs in Asheville. 

We reported last year about what a giant machine tourism has become — the good, the bad and the ugly — which included the TDA’s statistics on just how big tourism is for Buncombe County. For 2023, tourism generated $2.97 billion in direct visitor spending, which is 20 percent of Buncombe County’s gross domestic product. It supports 29,000 jobs, one in seven.

In short, the nearly 14 million annual visitors spend a lot of dough here. I have argued that the TDA can certainly dial back the promotional spending – could we get by on 12 million tourists? Probably so – and that they could direct more money to community projects.

But like it or not, we’re a tourist town. Always have been, likely always will be.

So right now, we need tourists to come back and spend money with us. Maybe not 14 million of them, but a good number.

Burroughs points out that the 20 percent of the RAD that’s still operational wants to carry the torch and keep the lights on so the other artists have a place to come back to. 

“If we want the district to continue to survive — not even thrive right now; just survive — if our local community doesn’t show up, if we don’t get any tourists to show up, there’ll be nothing for part of the RAD that’s been destroyed to come back to,” Burroughs said. “I don’t think people understand how close we are to losing the beating heart of our city.”

So if you’re in Charlotte or Hickory or Knoxville and you came through the storm all right, come visit the RAD, or a restaurant brewpub in West Asheville or downtown, or in Arden. Check out the stores and galleries that are open. 

Just be kind, and remember that just about everyone is still hurting in some way. 

As Explore Asheville puts it, “There are areas that need more time and support. We are mindful that high impact areas — including parts of the River Arts District, Biltmore Village and Swannanoa — have a much longer road ahead, so checking status online, calling ahead and making sure roads are open is strongly advised before traveling to these areas.”

Explore Asheville has a lot of information about what’s open and what’s not on its website, so definitely check first. As the site states, plan ahead, and, “If you want to support local businesses, please visit respectfully, with heart and patience.”

I’m going to keep helping my neighbors, volunteering where I can, donating money to solid causes and people, and working on my damn yard and fence.

But I’m also going to swing by the RAD this weekend, and pop over to Highland Brewing for the Cold Mountain holiday ale release. 

Hey, we’ve all got to do our part.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. John Boyle has been covering Asheville and surrounding communities since the 20th century. You can reach him at (828) 337-0941, or via email at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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