Asheville's arts community still shaken by effects of Hurricane Helene: 'economic tsunami'

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- When Hurricane Helene carved its path through Western North Carolina, it not only destroyed countless galleries and art studios -- leaving many artists without a place to work and sell -- but also disrupted a roughly billion-dollar industry that has become one of the pillars of the regional economy.

For gallery owners and artists like Amber Setchel, memories of the night of September 26th are still vivid.

She's a painter whose River Arts District studio was destroyed by Helene.

"The day before everything happened, we came down here and started taking everything out as fast as we could," Setchel said. "I took about four carloads out and then all of a sudden the streets here on both sides were starting to flood."

It's been months since she, and countless others rushed to save their livelihoods from Helene's unprecedented floodwaters. Once one of the epicenters of Asheville's creative community, Riverview Station is now a reminder of the storm's fury.

"Endless amounts of work was lost," Annie Kyla Bennett said.

She is the owner of Art Garden AVL, another family of artists that used to call Riverview Station home.

SEE ALSO | Asheville's River Arts District breweries, restaurants 'hopeful' amid ongoing Helene cleanup

It's an uncertain future for the once-burgeoning River Arts District, but business owners steadfastly forge ahead.

'Economic tsunami'

For Bennett, who met ABC11 near her old workspace, the return to Riverview was also a reminder of the once-blue-collar neighborhood's rebirth as an alternative, open-minded haven for artists who became collateral damage to the city's booming growth.

"The reason the river District existed in the first place is because artists got priced out of the rest of Asheville, and we moved down here because it was really cheap and nobody else wanted the space at that time," Bennett said.

However, that concentration of artists in the River Arts District ultimately compounded Helene's impact in the area. According to advocacy organization Arts AVL, the neighborhood -- home to some 300 artists -- helped support roughly $1 billion in annual sales for the regional economy.

Arts AVL estimated that 80% of the district was destroyed by Helene, a haymaker to one of the area's primary money makers.

"We had our whole fall season eliminated. And that's an economic tsunami for this area," Kit Cramer, President of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, said.

The extent of the damage to the arts sector is forcing economic officials like Cramer to get creative themselves.

RELATED | Asheville businesses struggle to rebuild after Hurricane Helene

For one day, many felt a sense of normalcy.

"I want them to come back to the River Arts District, don't get me wrong," she said. "But it would not hurt my feelings if we saw nodes of artists throughout Buncombe County."

As the city takes a long-term look at the way forward, Cramer says they're already ahead of schedule -- and she's counting on the spirit that first drew artists there to do it again.

"It's going to happen because it's too attractive. A place to dynamic, a place for it not to happen," Cramer said.

Meantime, for hundreds of artists, the trauma will linger, but they say it's a new opportunity to do what they do best.

"What we're doing is more important than it's ever been and we feel empowered by that and excited to keep it going," Bennett said. "And that has really helped carry us through a lot of just the loss and grief, knowing that we can still contribute."

SEE ALSO | Trump proposes 'getting rid of FEMA' during WNC visit with families impacted by Helene