BRADENTON BEACH, Fla. — After Hurricane Helene wiped out businesses near the beach, Bradenton Beach business owners said they were grateful to be open and welcoming back customers.
Many of the bars and restaurants near the beach are open on Thanksgiving. Retail stores will be closed for Thanksgiving and then open on Black Friday.
Rejane Monetti is the owner of Monetti Apparel and a clothing designer. She was born and raised in Brazil and moved to Anna Maria Island nearly 25 years ago.
She opened her boutique on Bridge Street nearly 3.5 years ago.
She said she is grateful to be open again after Hurricane Helene.
"I feel blessed. I live here on the island as well, so my house actually got hammered," she said.
She said storm surge flooded the first level of her home on Anna Maria Island. She had a floodgate installed around her business, which kept most of the water out.
She reopened her store in October, and she said she was one of the first businesses to reopen after the hurricane.
"This holiday, I am just grateful to be open and to be making money and to actually to be able to put food on my table and feed my kids. That’s what I’m grateful for because it was very scary to actually lose everything, not only my house, but my store and the way to make money," she said.
Matthew Myers helps operate Bridge Street Interiors, which his wife has owned since 2002. They reopened the store nearly a week ago after two hurricanes.
"Soft reopening was last Thursday, which was the Bridge Street lighting of the tree, which is a big thing. We had the largest crowd we’ve ever had," he said.
The Bridge Street Bazaar reopened after the hurricane a few weeks ago. It is closed on Thanksgiving, but back open on Black Friday.
"It's been a gradual process. There are businesses opening every day, so it's good to see people coming here," said Casey Norris, who works at Bridge Street Bazaar.
Derek Williams, owner of the Drift-In AMI, said he is working hard and hopes to reopen by New Year's. He said a new tiki bar is being installed, and they're renovating the old cocktail lounge once owned by Babe Ruth.
Business owners on Bridge Street are grateful to see locals and visitors return to the island.
"I was open by myself for over a month and seeing everybody getting back together on their feet and work together to actually get this back because this is a beautiful island, and we need to get strong and back, grateful to be here," said Monetti.
This week, an unlikely partnership between a sixth-grade student and a barbecue restaurant brought Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of hurricane victims across Pasco County.
