EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (WKBN) – The trains are running and the tracks have been replaced, but businesses in East Palestine are still worried about the after-effects from February’s toxic train derailment.
Joy Mascher has been running Flowers Straight from the Heart in the city for nearly 10 years. She said this past Mother’s Day was her worst ever, admitting there are days when she doesn’t see a single customer. She said at one point, Norfolk Southern did offer financial help, but it came with too many strings attached.
“Three years of paperwork, tax filings, stuff like that, which I’m not willing to give,” she said.
A few doors down, Melissa James said her antique furniture shop, Manetta’s Furniture and Decor, has been losing $1,000 a month compared to last year.
“Now summer is never our busiest time — everybody’s on vacation — but it’s a significant loss. It’s horrible,” James said.
She said she and neighboring businesses are trying to come up with ideas to lure shoppers back into the village, but health concerns are the biggest hurdle.
“It’s safe guys, it really is. I would not lie. It is safe,” she said.
While a number of business owners say they’re worried about the future there, one woman is taking a chance, moving from one location in town and opening her own business this weekend.
Kat Smith said when her landlord closed, she was forced to choose between going out of business and going out on her own. She decided to continue on with her business, Kat’s Krystals.
“Everybody told me that, you know, that, ‘You can do it,’ and I believed ’em,” she said, laughing. “I hope it pays off.”