It’s been a little over a month since the September 26 flood swept through Globe and Miami, leaving behind mud, debris, and heartbreak. Yet, amid the damage, stories of grit and determination are emerging as local businesses clean up, rebuild, and reopen their doors. From Anna’s Petals to Kino Floors and La Casita Cafe to Highway 60 Motors, the message is the same: clean up, rebuild, reopen, and keep going.
Here’s a look at four local businesses that have opened or are close to opening in the near future —and the personal and community effort behind their recovery.
When the floodwaters tore through Globe and Miami, Anna Bejarano, who owns Anna’s Petals on North Broad, lost over $3,000 worth of flowers, and her shop took on water and mud throughout. She refunded money to clients on orders she couldn’t refill and scrambled to fill the rest as she could, while also managing an effort involving her husband, friends, family and neighbors in the clean up and restoration of her shop.
What hasn’t been covered by the sheer generosity of volunteers and donations has come out of her savings and credit cards. She has applied for relief funding through Local First Arizona for the first round of funding, capped at $5000, but hasn’t received any funds yet, as of when this story was written.
“At one point I was ready to walk away,” she says. “My husband told me that if that is what I wanted to do, he would support that decision. But he didn’t think that’s who I was.”
“I decided to stay and fight for my business,” she adds. “I stayed here because of this community, because we can’t afford to lose businesses.”
“I’ve had so much help from others,” she continues. “Dale Fletcher, who owns Kino Floors, gave me the carpet we are laying today and just told me to pay for it when I can.”
The retail shop opened briefly in October before a temporary setback delayed the full opening. Anna now plans to reopen the retail business on November 4th. In the meantime, customers can place and/or pick up orders by calling or texting her at 928-812-2526.
The water and slurry came in under the front doors and through the back warehouse at Kino Floors and spread throughout the showroom, warehouse and office.
“We lost all our flooring and much of the furniture, and office equipment,” says Dale Fletcher. “It was people from this community who showed up that night and the next day to help us clean up that made a big difference.”
“There were ladies on their hands and knees cleaning our baseboard, says Cindy Fletcher, his wife.
“We were lucky, though,” she added. “We were due to receive a huge furniture shipment that Friday, but they canceled it and pushed it to Monday.”
Dale says he remembers someone telling him the night of the flood clean-up that they were helping him get back on his feet so he could help others.
Kino’s has had to order thousands of dollars of parts to repair and replace furniture items that could be fixed, and trash the rest. They lost work trucks and personal vehicles and office equipment and computers.
Dale estimates they were closed for about two weeks before opening in mid-October. Through it all—the cleanup and reopening—they have continued to support those around them: giving away some flooring, discounting other items, and delaying payments on yet others.
“We were approached by Al (Globe Mayor Al Gameros) about honoring vouchers that the Salvation Army is issuing for furniture and flooring, and I told him we would, of course,” he says.
He says he went to lease two U-Haul trucks the day after the flood, knowing they would be in high demand and knowing he would need them for his own business. Working with Blue and Lisa Sainz (of Blue’s Kustom Auto Shop), he picked up two trucks and gave them his credit card. When no charges showed up on his account, he called Blue. It turns out Blue had spoken with U-Haul corporate, and they had agreed to give Kinos the trucks for free. It’s been going on four weeks now, and that generosity alone has saved their family business over $2,000.
Kino’s has applied for flood relief through the United Fund program, which is using Local First Arizona as an intake partner, and has been told their application is under review.
Dale says he also looked into the SBA loan program and says they seem to “want your firstborn and blood type.”
He wonders how many people have a computer and the ability to fill out all the forms required.
After floodwaters tore through his shop at Highway 60 and Mesquite, owner Don Earven and his team at Highway 60 Motors are officially back in business. The shop reopened on October 13—just over three weeks after the storm left a path of destruction, forcing them to strip the building down to its steel framework.
Earven said the business lost tools, furniture, computers, and equipment, but credits a remarkable community effort for helping him get back on his feet.
“We had 40 to 50 people show up that Saturday to clear out the shop,” he said.
Meanwhile, he was managing the demands of his other business, Action Towing, which was working around the clock for days, pulling vehicles out of creek beds and underpasses over a 10-mile stretch.
His office manager, Gus Campagna, summed it up best: “It feels good to be back behind the counter here, instead of pushing a shovel.”
After three grueling weeks of cleanup, Highway 60 Motors reopened its doors—mud-free and ready to roll again.
Annie Villalobos, whose restaurant La Casita was among the hardest hit on North Broad Street, has had a steady stream of volunteers since day one—friends, family, and community members who have shown up to clean, repair, and encourage. When we stopped by recently, the restaurant already had new walls, fresh paint, and newly installed flooring.
That morning, Blue Sainz, owner of Blue’s Kustom Auto Shop, was delivering several of La Casita’s stoves. He and his crew had spent weeks cleaning them—blowing out gas lines, pressure washing, and repainting each unit.
“The next step is hooking them up and turning them on to see what works,” Villalobos said. “I’m fairly confident about the gas stoves, but the one that’s both gas and electric may need to be replaced.”
On Tuesday, October 21, Villalobos applied for flood relief through Local First Arizona and was told she had been approved by LFA for the first round of funding—capped at $5,000.
However, LFA told her the final determination and distribution would be made by United Fund, but she should expect to see a check within a week.
The relief comes as a welcome start, she says, though it covers only a small fraction of what she’s already spent to rebuild, and she has questions about when she will hear how the relief fund, which is now at $1.9 million dollars, is going to be distributed.
Linda Oddonetto, President of United Fund, gave a presentation at a recent Globe Council meeting and stated that 70 businesses had been affected. Villalobos asked her later if she could provide a list of the 70 businesses and what criteria were being used to determine who was eligible for those funds, and what determined the amount of funds.
“Oddonetto simply told me she hoped to see my business come back stronger than ever,” Villalobos recalls.
Still, Villalobos continues to press forward, determined to reopen by mid-November and bring her 18 employees back to work.
Other Globe-Miami businesses which have opened or will be opening soon include Salinas’s Smoke Street, Globe Gym, Drift Inn Saloon, The Train Depot, Upton’s Event Venue, Pickle Barrel Trading Post, Simply Sarah’s, El Ranchito, Meading of the Minds, Miami Flats, Bunney’s Bazaar aka Two Bored Ladies, Sweet Memories, Pin Drop Trailers, and more.
This is a developing story, and we will continue to cover the comeback of our community.
The comeback story of Tina McCreary and the Power Elite Dance Academy: Tina’s mother started the dance academy in one tiny building on Broad Street in 1983. Over the years, her daughter grew the business, bought the adjacent buildings, and trained generations of dancers and gave thousands of performances. All of her buildings were hit hard by flood waters, which entered through the front and back, collapsed walls, and destroyed everything within.
She has had to gut the buildings, and rebuild. She hopes to open in January.
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