HARTFORD, Tenn. — Seven months after the remnants of Hurricane Helene swept through East Tennessee, the small town of Hartford and neighboring Cocke County are still grappling with the storm’s aftermath. Among the hardest-hit local businesses is The Bean Sprout Coffee Shop and The Bean Trees Cafe, both owned by Michelle Cuellar, as well as an old U.S. Postal Service building she owns. All three properties sustained significant damage, forcing Cuellar to make difficult decisions about how to rebuild and reopen.
“We had to throw everything away. All equipment, all of our stock, inventory—everything,” Cuellar shared, reflecting on the devastation caused by the storm. Despite the overwhelming loss, the businesswoman remained determined to get her coffee shop up and running in time for the start of the rafting season, a vital time for local businesses in the tourism-driven community.
“Coffee shop was the first thing that was more doable and affordable to get open,” Cuellar said. “I was very confident in that being opened by the rafting season, and until we get the restaurant completed, we’re serving some of our fun items that we serve at the restaurant here as well.”
Cuellar applied for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan to help fund repairs and recovery efforts, but a glitch in the paperwork led to a delay in the process. Instead of simply amending the application, Cuellar was required to submit a new one, causing further setbacks. By the time the application was submitted, two other major natural disasters had already hit the region, further complicating the approval process.
“We applied for the SBA loan, but it came back as a denied letter due to a glitch in the paperwork,” Cuellar explained. “Instead of fixing it, they made us reapply. By then, we were already behind because of two other natural disasters, and the application has just been ‘under review’ for months now.”
With the SBA loan still pending, Cuellar credits volunteers with helping her make progress on reopening. Working off of the reserves she had available, the business owner relied heavily on the assistance of community members who came forward to help gut the damaged buildings, remove debris, pressure wash surfaces, and tackle the many other tasks required to get the businesses back on their feet.
“We were literally just working off of reserves that we had, and if it weren’t for the volunteers who came in from the beginning to help us gut the buildings, throw everything away, pressure wash, and do all the things that needed to be done, we couldn’t have started moving forward without that,” Cuellar said gratefully.
Despite the ongoing challenges, Cuellar remains hopeful that The Bean Trees Cafe will be able to open its doors by the end of May. In the meantime, the coffee shop continues to serve some of the favorite items that will eventually be featured at the cafe, providing a small but important step forward in the recovery process for both the business and the community.
As Hartford looks toward the future, Cuellar’s perseverance serves as a reminder of the resilience and determination of small business owners facing the difficult road to recovery. With the support of volunteers and the hope for eventual SBA approval, Cuellar is optimistic that Hartford’s beloved cafe will soon be able to reopen, serving locals and visitors alike once more.
