‘We cannot in good conscience rebuild’
Some in Ellicott City won’t return; others ponder next step
After a historic flood hit Ellicott City Sunday, the owner of a coffee shop decided it was time to move from the store’s longtime home on Main Street.
On Wednesday, Gretchen Shuey, 48, the owner of Bean Hollow, announced on Facebook that she would be closing the shop’s Ellicott City location.
“After a lot of soul searching and a lot of heartbreak, we feel that as badly as we want to come back, we cannot in good conscience rebuild in E.C. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to one of my staff as a result of a flood, and there is nothing that can be done to fix the flood problem in the near future,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
She’s one of many business owners in Ellicott City who are grappling with whether to rebuild once again.
Some said they’d be back for sure, while others quickly launched fundraiser efforts to see if they could make the numbers work. Still others like Shuey questioned whether coming back, even if possible, would be the right move.
Many didn’t have flood insurance, while those who did wondered if it would be enough.
Jerome Scott of Cotton Duck Art & Apparel also decided not to reopen, saying nothing has been done yet to fix the flooding problem.
Kitty Morgan, who owned the Summer of Love hippie shop, did not have insurance and doubts whether she’ll be able to raise enough to rebuild.
Linda Jones, the owner of Tea on the Tiber, had insurance, but said it would not cover all her losses.
But other stores, including women’s apparel store Sweet Elizabeth Jane, Linwood Boutique and gourmet grocer Park Ridge Trading Co., already are making plans to reopen.
Shuey said it’s just too much. She feels guilty — like she’s “abandoning ship.” But she knows it’s for the best.
She plans to reopen in Catonsville, where she and her family live. But it wasn’t an easy decision to make.
Shuey began working at the coffee shop on Main Street in the ’90s, after she graduated from college. Years later, when the owner wanted to sell, she worked an extra job from 6 a.m. till noon to save money to buy it. It was the place where she met her husband, who was a customer at the time.
After the 2016 flood, Shuey had reservations about reopening in the same location, but she pressed on with the help of neighbors.
On Facebook, people have been commenting, “We want you back in Ellicott City,” Shuey said, which she finds shocking.
“I just think: ‘How?’ ” She and her husband “can’t fathom rebuilding.”
At the same time, she admits, “I have a sense of relief in a way, because I have been anticipating this.” She can let go of the anxiety that it will happen again — because it did.