1 Year Later, Merchants Rebound from Irene

Daniele Churchill recalls how her store was hit when Tropical Storm Irene was flooded, as a brook behind Shopper's Park swelled its banks. The store was closed for two weeks and had damage to the floor, sheet rock and cabinentry.

"All kinds of stuff," she said.

The closure was a financial blow. "I lost a lot of money she said."

A year later, you would never notice the storm hit. Churchill noted that things are "pretty decent," in terms of business.

"Irene's way behind us," she said.

Many of the merchants in the downtowns of Mount Kisco and Chappaqua, beset with flooding caused in part by the terrain of the business districts, have bounced back since the devastation.

"We're doing great," said Gaye Corning, manager of Mount Kisco's location on South Moger Avenue. The store , closed for about two weeks and had to get floor and sheetrock work done, according to Diane Flaherty, a sales associate at the store.

"Slowly but surely," was the response from Lindsey Barnes, co-owner of Chappaqua's Their store at the time was located at 14 S. Greeley Ave., a flood-prone section of the street, with flood damage leading to significant loss of merchandise.

"It was a lot, it was a shame," Barnes said about the financial toll. Despite this, however, the store stayed opened and service that was possible was offered.

The store moved to a new location in January, across the street to 39 S. Greeley Ave. Irene damage was a contributing factor in the move, Barnes explained.

"It kind of forced a re-evaluation," she said. Their old storefront is now being eyed by Hall of Scoops, an Armonk ice cream and candy place,

Michael Kushner, owner of in Chappaqua, knows what to do in the event of flooding. His store was battered by Tropical Storm Floyd when it struck in 1999, so his flooding ordeal with Irene was not unique. His preparation involved placing merchandise upstairs or off of the ground.

Kushner said they were able to "get ourselves back in gear."

"Fine now, no problem," was the response from Dr. Chris Gentile of , which was also flooded and had equipment damage.

One of the hardest hit, however, was . Located on the hilly portion of Chappaqua's upper King Street section, its flood damage came about when a power outage disabled a sump pump.

"It was painful," said owner Rhoda Gennarelli. However, she noted that customers "were unquestionably thrilled when we reopened." The closure also provided for a chance to expand the store's clothing line, she explained.