Tarpon Springs, Fla. — Tarpon Springs was severely damaged by Hurricane Helen, but the city is on the mend and most businesses are now open for business.
Anyone walking through downtown Tarpon Springs will notice that life has returned to normal for most businesses. However, it took months to get to this point.
Nancy Williams is a purchasing manager for several stores, including Fatty’s Place and Tarpon Shell Shack. She said the damage caused by the storm surge during Hurricane Helen was extensive.
“Everything was upside down, everything was floating. It was just a nightmare, but we pulled together and did the best we could,” Williams said.
She said it took several weeks to repair the store.
“It was gutting, cleaning, new walls, new products and everything else,” Williams said.
But Williams said foot traffic and sales are down, blaming the fact that many people don’t know Tarpon Springs is open.
“A lot of people don’t know we’re still open. Sites online are advertising to people that Spongebob is ghosted down and we’re not open, but I… We are open for business,” Williams said.
