Tar Heel Traveler: Featherheads owner in Chimney Rock Village says she's lucky after Helene devastation

For more than 30 years, Kim Sherrill has lived and operated her shop, Featherheads, in Chimney Rock Village. The shop is getting rebuilt after the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Posted 3/10/2025, 10:25:00 PM Updated 3/15/2025, 5:52:56 PM

OFF ON SATURDAY. ASHLEY TANNER

WILL BEGIN COMPETING IN FIGURE

SKATING TOMORROW STUFF. SO IT'S

BEEN ALMOST 6 MONTHS NOW SINCE

HURRICANE HELENE SWEPT ACROSS

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA,

RAVAGING COMMUNITIES THERE.

TONIGHT, WE FIND OUR TAR HEEL

TRAVELER IN ONE OF THE MOST

HEAVILY DAMAGED PLACES. SCOTT

MASON IS AT CHIMNEY ROCK

VILLAGE WITH THE STORE OWNER

WHO CONSIDERS HERSELF IMMENSELY

LUCKY.

>> IF HURRICANE HELENE HAD AN

EPICENTER, IT WAS PROBABLY

CHIMNEY ROCK VILLAGE AND TIRE

BUILDINGS GONE AND YET SOME

STORES SALVAGE JUST GOT OUR

DOOR PODIUM. NOT FINISHED BIG

GETTING STARTED TO CALL IT A

FRESH START CALLING FLIGHT,

BUT WAS SCARS STILL VISIBLE

THAT YET?

>> THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE.

THE FLOOD LINE AND THE MUD LIKE

IT WAS UP TO ABOUT RIGHT HERE,

WHICH IS ABOUT 4 AND A HALF

FEET. THIS WAS A 30 YEAR-OLD

BUSINESS IN CHIMNEY ROCK HIM.

I HAD ONE LITTLE FUN AND THE

WINDOWS THAT FIT STAY NEARLY

EVERYTHING ELSE AND FED THEIR

HANDS WAS LAWS. THIS WAS HOW I

FOUND THE STORE. WHEN A SHOW TO

CONTINUE TO MAKE SENSE. THERE

IS JUST STACKED ON TOP OF EACH

OTHER. THERE'S SO MUCH MUD.

IT'S QUITE.

>> UNBELIEVABLE. NOBODY

EXPECTED THAT SOMETHING LIKE

THIS WAS EVEN POSSIBLE. SO MUCH

OF IT WASHED OUT THE DOOR, HER

MERCHANDISE ARTWORK AND THE

JEWELRY WAS ALL IN THE MUD.

AND YET KIM FEELS LUCKY.

MY BUILDINGS STOOD. I HAD

SOMETHING TO CLEAN THAT AND

SOMETHING TO REALLY BLOW

BUBBLES GENERAL STORE, WHICH

YOU DON'T SAY ANYMORE. THEY

HAD TO BE TORN DOWN. AND THEN

THIS BUILDING IS BUT O'LEARY'S

OUTFITTERS WITH THE 2 OF THEM.

HE WOULD HAVE CELEBRATED 33

YEARS IN BUSINESS. IT WAS HARD

TO UNDERSTAND THAT.

>> IN THIS IT ACTUALLY

HAPPENED. IT WAS SO.

>> OVERWHELMING THAT YOU JUST

FELT LIKE THIS CAN'T BE REAL.

>> FINANCIALLY, IT MUST HAVE

BEEN TOUGH FINANCIALLY. IT'S

VERY TOUGH. I MEAN, THE WHOLE

VILLAGE

>> IS BASICALLY UNEMPLOYED.

NONE OF US ON THIS SIDE OF THE

STREET HAD FLOOD INSURANCE.

>> BECAUSE MOST OF US HAD

SURVIVED THE FLOOD OF TIME.

>> IN THE GARDEN ON IT, WE GOT

RIGHT AT A FOOT OF RAIN IN LESS

THAN 2 HOURS.

>> AND WHEN ARE YOU GONNA SEE

MORE THAN THAT? HOW SPECIAL

WAS GOODNESS. IT WAS SO

SPECIAL. THIS IS ONE OF THEIR

STAPLE THINGS THAT THEY

REMEMBER.

>> OF THE TOWN BECAUSE IT WAS

SO UNIQUE. SHE HAD THINGS FROM

ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. THERE'S

NO WAY I COULD RECREATE WHAT

I HAD IN HERE. IT WILL BE A

DIFFERENT STORE FOR ALL OF US.

BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS IS

RECOVER AS BEST WE CAN. AND

I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF

CHIMNEY ROCK.

>> AND IN A LOT OF WAYS, I

CAN'T WAIT TO GET THERE.

OUR TAR HEEL TRAVELER, SCOTT

MASON REPORTING THEIR OPTIMISM.

OF COURSE.

>> HIS PERVADES, THE MOUNTAINS

DESPITE SUCH OVERWHELMING LOSS.

BE SURE TO WATCH STORIES LEAD.

THE TAR HEEL TRAVELER SPECIAL

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