Tuesday marks one year since tornadoes ripped through North Texas, including an EF-3 that tore through Dallas.
As of Monday, the recovery process continued for many businesses.
“It was a real shock to have our store destroyed so quickly,” Interabang Books co-owner Lori Feathers said.
The community book store was left in tatters after the tornado ripped through the Preston Royal Shopping Center.
Feathers said they opted to temporarily move the shop to the Pavilion on Lovers Lane and have since seen an increase in sales.
“It’s worked out so well that we’ve decided to go ahead and make this our new permanent home,” she said. “We couldn't have done any of this without the support of the community. They stuck with us through the holidays last year and then through COVID.”
The Sunday night storm damaged 900 businesses and homes across the city, including Meletio Lighting and Electrical on Harry Hines Boulevard.
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The company has been in business for 100 years.
General manager JoAnne Craven said they’ve been able to keep operations going despite severe damage to their showroom and office space.
“It’s been a slow process,” she said when asked how their recovery was going.
Meletio did not relocate following the tornado.
Craven is also part of the Northwest Dallas Business Association and said companies have mostly managed to survive the 2019 tornado and COVID-19.
“We’ve been hit with a double whammy,” she said. “It’s been challenging. Some days are better than others but on the whole I think things are moving in the right direction.”
Incredibly, no one was killed in the Oct. 20, 2019 tornadoes.
