APALACHICOLA, Florida (WTXL) – It’s the time of year entrepreneurs have been waiting for.

Andrea Pendelton owns The Station, one of the companies in Apalachicola that is hoping to recover this summer after being particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

“Our lively hood was at stake,” Pendleton said.

She said the restaurant lost over $ 150,000 in 2020.

This is not the first time this restaurant has had a tough time.
In 2018, the roof of the restaurant was demolished from the building, leaving them without a roof for almost a year.

“We had a lot of tarps,” said Pendleton. “That’s how we survived. Blue tarpaulins were everywhere.”

With that planning a thing of the past and with COVID-19 restrictions lifted, the coastal community is looking up. But there is another concern, hurricane season. With storms like Elsa putting coastal communities on alert, Chamber of Commerce director John Solomon said a major storm could be devastating for that community.

“During the peak season, it would be devastating for that time of year if something got through, tourism would stall for a period of time,” said Solomon.

But Riverside Mercantile has already doubled sales this year and said they are prepared for anything.

“The city is thriving, businesses are thriving. We’ve weathered hurricanes, Covid, so we’re here to stay,” said owner Michele Seawright.

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