Hurricane Helene destroyed coffee shop, owner hoped it would be a ‘safe haven’

• Hurricane Helene destroyed Maples, a coffee shop in Burnsville, North Carolina.
• Opened in 2015, Maples has served as a community center, hosting music and art events.
• Owner Susan Scoggins told BI she has no idea how she will rebuild the business.

This essay is based on an interview with Susan Scoggins, 61, owner of Maples, a coffee shop in Burnsville, North Carolina, which was destroyed by Hurricane Helene.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

We opened Maples in 2015 because there was no food or drink in the area. At the time, I was taking a business class and talking about filling a niche.

Maples did that, but it also did so much more, it filled a need for a community. It quickly became a community center.

We didn’t just have food and coffee – we had music jams every Saturday morning and knitting and crochet groups came weekly.

It’s where people used to hold their meetings.

We couldn’t wait to celebrate our 10th anniversary.

When we knew bad weather was on the way, we started preparing.

We’ve lived on the coast for 30 years, so we know how to take hurricane precautions.

When we heard he was coming to North Carolina, we started making sure we would have enough food and water and started putting our important things in the store.

Maples was on a cement board; it had steel girders and we really thought it was a safer place than anywhere else.

It started raining and we had everything we needed in the building and there was still electricity.

I stayed there until about 10pm, and I was planning to stay there overnight because I couldn’t get up to my house, which is higher up on a mountain.

I wanted to be available to make coffee in the morning in case things got bad for our neighbors.

My hope was that Maples would be a little safe haven for people to come to after the hurricane passed. But now, the building is just gone.

There is nothing left.

I’m thankful my niece talked me into staying with her that night because if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here either.

All the customers know my two-year-old great-granddaughter, who has been the cafe’s little greeter since she was born. She had all her toys there.

When I first saw the building, things were scattered all over the parking lot, including her toys. We also had a 30 foot water tower. It was just washed in the intersection.

There are a lot of people without food, water, energy, medicine and all the necessities, but they continue to be kind and everyone helps everyone.

I don’t know where we go from here. Right now, I have no idea what time it is, I don’t even know what day it is.

I also have no idea what it would take to rebuild Maples. I just don’t know.

I know my store was insured, but I have to get around disaster relief and stuff.

But right now, it’s most important to me that we help the community rebuild after Hurricane Helene.