Brandon Davis and his husband, Davey, said they were “over the moon” when they finally opened Daytrip, their quirky bar and event space, on August 22 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Plans to host LGBTQ fundraisers, burlesque shows, dog adoptions and other community events were in the works when everything was canceled, Davis said.
Just over a month after the space opened to the public, it was destroyed by Hurricane Helen.
Hurricane Helen hit Florida on September 26 and killed at least 242 people, according to an NBC News report.
Experience Asheville Significant flooding leading to massive losses. Many residents are still struggling to find accommodation and have destroyed major roads in the already difficult terrain of southern Appalachia. Challenging aid distribution
Davis and Brandon have been bartenders their entire lives. They created the concept of Day Trip as a place for the diverse community, featuring a bar and coffee shop
At first, Davis said, he didn't think his business would be affected by Hurricane Helen.
“We are in the mountains, at an elevation of 2,000 feet and 300 miles from the coast, so we have never experienced anything like a hurricane,” he said.
Although it seemed “overly cautious,” Davis said, they still sanded the door in preparation for other hurricanes.
“We keep all of our sentimental items and expensive equipment six feet off the ground,” he said.
According to Davis, the building rose above 25 feet of water and the Daytrip was flooded up to the second floor.
When he returned to space after the storm passed, he said, it looked like “a scene from a movie about the end of the world.”
“It doesn’t feel real,” he continued. “It looked like the building lifted, spun, shook and then fell.”
After the water started to recede, David said he realized they were very lucky.
“Many people have lost their homes, or parents, children or spouses,” he said. “So even though we lost our livelihood and financial security, we feel lucky to be alive.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser, verified by NBC News, exceeded its goal of rebuilding the DayTrip and providing support for workers, raising more than $191,000.
Meredith Sims, a friend of Davis, began campaigning on behalf of the business owners, setting a goal of $180,000 — an estimate of her lifetime savings and the large business loan taken out to finance the project.
“They spent countless months and a lot of blood, sweat and tears renovating the space and realizing their dream of creating a cozy, quaint place to welcome friends and neighbors and feel welcome,” he wrote. “It was that place for a short period of time.”
Since the GoFundMe went live, Davis said, they have been overwhelmed with support — even from international supporters.
“Thousands of wonderful people from all over the world are donating and I have no words to explain how grateful I am,” she said.
In addition to setting aside money to rebuild the tour, Davis said they used the funds to compensate workers as well as donate to local volunteer efforts.
There is Davis leveraged Daytrip platform not only to support their families, businesses and employees, but also to help other small businesses and community members.
“After only opening on August 22nd, I realized how difficult it is and how much everything is needed to open a business,” he said. “You make it your safe haven, the magical place of your dreams. To have that taken away from you is devastating.”
The day trip organized a cold-weather gear collection for the community, as officials in Buncombe County, where Asheville is located, said Hurricane Helen survivors will need donations as temperatures drop this fall.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, approved 24,500 requests for Buncombe County residents totaling $27 million as of Wednesday, according to county officials.
Davis said he wants to use the money raised through GoFundMe to reopen the tour and plans to begin rebuilding in the spring.
As for the extensive list of community events Davis has planned, he said they will still happen. “We’ll have to wait a little longer to make them, won’t we?”
