Livelihoods threatened as businesses look at losses
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 14, 2016 9:57 AM
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Andrew, left, and Sam Jernigan move a piece of furniture in the showroom of the family store on Thursday afternoon.
Andrew Jernigan walked through his family's furniture store showroom Wednesday looking over stacked couches, loveseats, chairs and wood furniture wrapped in plastic.
Even though efforts were made to save the merchandise shortly after Hurricane Matthew, it wasn't enough.
The storm, which pounded Wayne County Saturday and brought with it record flooding, which cut off sections of the city, left motorists stranded and led to widespread property damage.
Jernigan's Furniture, on East Ash Street, suffered a total inventory loss, along with others across the road from Stoney Creek Park, which was inundated with floodwaters that poured into nearby businesses Saturday.
At Jernigan's, a storefront window blew out, the back doors blew open, and the inside was filled with 4 to 5 inches of water.
"It doesn't matter if it's one inch or one foot," said Jernigan, chief operating officer. "It's a total loss when water touches it. The problem with our store is 90 percent of our merchandise is on the floor."
The musty smell of flood damage lingers in the air, as the Jernigans spend their days talking with insurance adjusters and Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives.
Whether or not they'll receive financial aid through FEMA remains unknown. Insurance will cover some of the loss, but not all.
"It will not cover all of it, but it will help," he said.
Jernigan Furniture -- a near 93-year, four-generation, family-run company -- plans to remain on East Ash Street after the damaged merchandise is removed and the building undergoes a complete remodel.
The Jernigans will start seeking new furnishings at furniture markets next week and will store the items in a warehouse until the store can reopen.
The goal is to fully stock the showroom before the Christmas shopping season, one of the bigger sales times of the year.
"Most of our stuff is made in America, and it's special ordered," he said. "It's not sitting in a warehouse. When we do reopen, it will be a brand new store with the latest, hottest furnishings available."
Andrew, his father and grandfather remain upbeat even with the total loss. The store has weathered other natural disasters, and the family believes better days are ahead.
"It hurts," Jernigan said. "It's easy to get down about something like this. We've been through fires, floods and anything else that can be thrown at an organization, and we haven't decided to give up.
"We've got a lot of history here -- 66 years. We're going to stick it out. We're going to rebuild. It'll be a very tough time for the Jernigan family, but we'll make it. We'll find a way."
Businesses along East Ash Street remain closed. Many are blocked by yellow caution tape, barricades and vehicles.
The nearby Barnyard Shopping Center is filled with stacks of fabric lined along the front of the Cloth Barn and piles of wood paneling from Artistic Dance Academy. The shopping center was filled with people this week as walls, flooring and other materials were ripped out of the dance academy where floodwaters reached at least 4 feet high.
Other businesses, including the Lantern Inn and Scrubbles Automatic Car Wash, remain closed and entrances closed off.
Since Tuesday, people have stopped by the Outdoor Shoppe and Bicycle World -- directly across from Stoney Creek Park -- where racks of shirts, jackets, coats and shoes are being sold, at a 60-percent discount, in the parking lot.
Only cash is being accepted, after the store's electronic debit machines were damaged when 3-feet-high floodwaters soaked the store's merchandise.
"It's just so sad," said Mary Battle Roethling, as she looked for some items to buy. "I hate that they're having to put everything out here at a discount. I just hate to see the business suffering."
Roethling really didn't need to buy anything but thought if she did, it would help the business somewhat recover.
"If I find a Christmas gift -- great," she said. "I'm just really more inclined to support them."
Mike Wiggins, owner, said neither business has flood insurance and the items are being sold in an effort to recover from some of the loss.
Originally, he planned to dry out the clothing but decided to sell after someone asked about the possibility.
"That gave me the idea to sell it," he said. ""We decided to discount everything and minimize our losses. There's nothing in the world wrong with (the clothing). I had some people tell me today, they took it home, washed it and it came out beautifully."
The items will be sold as long as the weather holds out, he said.
"I'm going to do it every day until it rains," he said. "I'm thankful that people are buying any of it."
Even though the business loss will take its toll financially, Wiggins remains overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of local support from area residents who've offered to help.
People stopped by the business after the floodwaters receded and pulled out clothing, wrung it out and hung it on racks to dry in the sunlight. People are still helping, with some stationed at a makeshift checkout table where cash is being accepted. Others are helping organize the parking lot sales area and assisting customers.
"I just want to stress how thankful I am for the volunteers," Wiggins said. "Without them, we wouldn't be in the condition we're in. We don't have the manpower.
"People have come from everywhere to help, and everybody has their own problems, too. We've got 30 to 40 volunteers helping us every day."
The Outdoor Shoppe and Bicycle World will move away from the low-lying section of East Ash Street to 137 N. Center St., in downtown Goldsboro, next week. Weather-damaged merchandise from Bicycle World will also be sold, eventually, Wiggins said.