Mark Thalman of FishBrains Skate Shop shares his story of resilience after Helene’s devastating flood in Asheville’s River Arts District.
After the Flood: Resilience Following Hurricane Helene
On September 27th, FishBrains Skate Shop in Asheville, North Carolina, was severely impacted by flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. In this interview, I sit down with Mark Thalman, the owner of FishBrains, to discuss the significant damage sustained during the unprecedented flooding. Located in the hard-hit River Arts District (RAD), where the shop had only recently relocated, Mark shares why he chose RAD for the new home of FishBrains and the preparations they made before the storm. We discuss the uncertainty leading up to the hurricane, what it was like weathering the storm, and the shocking realization of the devastation the following morning. Finally, Mark opens up about the challenging recovery process and his vision for the future of FishBrains as they work to rebuild and move forward.
A Strategic Move to River Arts District
What was your experience like finding a location for your business in Asheville?
My first location was never ideal; it was honestly just the first place I found that was semi-affordable. Real estate in Asheville is quite crazy, and I had been looking for about a year – but my intention was always to be in or near the River Arts District – that’s where we skate the most, the Foundation DIY is located there, and they had recently finished building the RAD greenway trail that runs along the river – but everything was occupied. Most businesses seemed cozy where they were, so most weren’t leaving anytime soon, but I was always looking for empty spaces.
The Radical Hotel is a newer redevelopment, built out of an old building that had been in the RAD for a long time but as an empty shell. I’ve heard some wild stories about people throwing parties there when it was empty.
How did you find your current shop location, and what made it the perfect fit for your business?
One day, my real estate agent randomly called me and said, “Hey, there might be an opportunity for you to move the shop to the RAD. Would you be interested?” I quickly said yes and set up an appointment to see the space. When I saw the space, I knew I wanted it right away. It had everything I was initially looking for – lots of character, big windows with natural light, high ceilings, and some exposed brick, but most importantly, it was close to the RAD Greenway Trail.
At the time, The Radical was using the space for storage, but wanted to activate the space with something cool and unique to offer hotel guests – they already had a restaurant and a coffee shop in the hotel so they were thinking they wanted retail in some capacity – after meeting with them and explaining my shop and how I rent skates to explore the trail nearby they were excited to offer me the space.
I moved in about a month later. I’ve only been there since June 2024, but I have enjoyed every day of being there. It’s helped business so much because it’s close to the Greenway. I love being a part of the RAD; there are way more people walking around and creative things to do and see; it is a much better fit than my old location.
Before the Storm
FishBrains Skate Shop in the Radical Hotel in the River Arts District of Ashville.
When you first heard about Hurricane Helene approaching, what were your initial thoughts about how it would affect Asheville and your skate shop?
Initially, I didn’t think there was any way a hurricane could hit us that hard up in the mountains, so to be honest, I kind of brushed it off at first. My shop is more than 400 ft (Google Maps Measurement) from the French Broad River in the River Art District or RAD as most people call the area – and my head could not comprehend the river flooding that far.
Have you had any experience preparing for hurricanes or severe weather events in the past, and how did you prepare for this one?
I’ve had some experience with hurricanes; my parents live in Hilton Head Island, SC – a little island off the coast of South Carolina that often has Hurricane scares and a few touchdowns that have done significant damage. I can’t remember if Matthew in 2016 or Irma in 2017 flooded my parent’s garage about 2ft, but we had to evacuate for one of them. My folks live pretty close to the beach but have never really taken the time to board up the windows or anything – my family has been located or visiting Hilton Head since the 60s, if not longer, so they are pretty used to storms being over-hyped and ending up being much less intense than forecasters predict. I would say I had the same reaction when I heard that Helene was heading towards Asheville.
The inside of FishBrains prior to Hurricane Helene.
Can you describe the lead-up to the storm and what steps you took when you were warned about the potential flooding at your shop?
To set the scene – I rented a small separate corner space at the bottom of The Radical Hotel in the River Art District that runs along the French Broad River – We knew a big storm was coming, and the shop was super slow. People online said this storm would be massive, so I closed around 2 pm, thinking there was no way anyone needed to snag skate stuff during a storm. I headed home – not even an hour later, around 3 pm on Thursday, Sept 26th, I got a call from someone at the Radical Hotel who said they were starting to board up the doors and that I might want to help and maybe get some stuff off the ground of the shop.
Still in disbelief, I returned to the shop to see what was happening. Sure enough, Tyler, head of the maintenance crew for the Radical Hotel, was outside, starting to board up all the doors on the backside of the building. He told me that he had read some estimates about the possible level of flooding, and they said that the French Broad River “could” crest at 24ft high. He then pointed to the parking lot and said, “That parking block would be 18ft high…so we think it might hit the building.” – still in utter disbelief, I asked what he thought I should do.
He responded, “Can you get anything in your shop off the ground?” I went inside as they continued to tape both sides of all the doors and put up entire sheets of plywood, plastic sheeting, and a few bags of topsoil. I took everything I could out of my retail cases near the doors and windows and stacked everything on top of the cases. At this point, I’m getting a little scared, but I’m still trying to be hopeful that all this is for nothing.
What last-minute steps did you take to protect your valuables from potential flooding?
At the last minute, I decided to take my computer home, all my hard drives, camera, the cash in the register, the iPad I use for the register, and anything else meaningful that might get ruined IF water got inside the building. I asked Tyler if there was anything else I could do, to which he said something like, “The building is my responsibility, so I think you are good to go home” he then added one more thing he said “so if the predictions are true, they think the water will be at full height by 2 pm” – so I made plans to come back to the building in the morning to check-in.
During the Storm
What were you most concerned about during the hurricane?
I was most concerned about trees falling on the house. The wind was like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It was so loud, and with every crack of trees, I was scared it would come right through the roof. I wasn’t thinking about the shop. The shop didn’t have anything I couldn’t replace in it. It’s all just stuff, and in the end, none of it mattered, especially if I was gone or trapped under a giant tree.
Can you describe what it was like experiencing the storm?
The storm raged all night; I couldn’t sleep because the wind was so loud, shaking my windows. At one point, I had to get up and shut my bedroom windows cause there was way too much water getting inside. I kept hearing loud cracking noises, which I now know were trees cracking in half, a bunch of powerful booms, and just lots of wind noise.
I was shaken awake by a loud explosion and bright lights – so I went to the windows and watched three more transformers explode at the top of the power lines in front of the apartment building. It was still raining hard, and there were several more sounds of trees cracking and breaking – so I watched from my window until it stopped raining.
What was it like when the storm calmed, and you first went outside? How did you assess the damage to your neighborhood, and what made you decide to walk to your shop?
Once it all calmed down around 9 am, I wandered outside. I live in a crazy old hospital building that looks like a colonial-style house – there are 18 apartments in the building – most of the tenants were outside trying to make sure the house hadn’t been hit by anything. Three or four giant trees on the side of the house had fallen into the road. Thankfully, nothing had hit the building, but they hit many power lines.
Fallen trees around Mark’s neighborhood.
A tree had fallen into our driveway, so that I couldn’t get my truck out. One of the other tenants and I went to walk around the neighborhood to see how much damage there was. It was wild how many giant trees had fallen into houses and power lines or were blocking major roads and intersections. It was like navigating a maze to get around the block.
I live at a higher elevation than the French Broad River – so we had no flooding near my house. I was so shocked by how much damage had been caused around the neighborhood that I had to remind myself that the shop might be in danger. Time felt like it was moving by really fast. Since I couldn’t get my truck out, I walked the two miles to the shop. I grabbed a few water bottles, a snack, and my video camera and headed out.
Arriving at the River Arts District during the flood, what were your initial reactions to the damage you saw?
I arrived at the River Arts District around 2 p.m., but it took much longer than expected because so many roads were blocked. There were power lines down, trees in the way, and emergency vehicles everywhere. Honestly, I felt like I probably shouldn’t have been heading down toward the river at all.
There’s a bridge where you can see the entire River Arts District, and when I got there, it was packed with people watching the river. I looked over and thought, “Oh, thank god!” because the river hadn’t reached the shop yet (2:17 pm – left photo). I took a few more pictures, walked around, and filmed some videos because it was unbelievable how much the river had expanded. It felt surreal, like a dream—half of the RAD was already underwater (2:27 pm – right photo). Eventually, I snapped out of my shock, stopped filming, and went to check on the shop.
What was it like when you arrived at your shop and saw the floodwaters rising? How did you handle the situation?
When I got to the shop at 2:35pm, the water was just below the sidewalk and the parking lot railing until 2:45 pm (top left and right photos).
By 2:50, the water started to spill over the curb and reached the walkway in front of the shop (bottom left photo). Tyler was there, wearing rubber boots and checking everything—he had stayed there the night before. At 2:57 pm (bottom middle photo), and by 3 pm, we were inside The Radical (bottom right photo), and at 3:04 pm the water began to seep through the doors. We scrambled to move things out of the way, hoping the water wouldn’t rise much higher.
I couldn’t get into my shop because there were no doors from inside the hotel that led to it. All the doors to the shop are on the outside of the building, and they were taped and boarded shut. So I couldn’t get inside to move anything or take anything out. Instead, I helped the hotel crew where I could and eventually ended up on the roof, watching the French Broad River take over everything in its path.
It sounded like being at the ocean during a storm—the water was so loud and fast. By this point, the water had reached the roof of Second Gear, the building across the train tracks, about 100 feet from The Radical. We could only watch from the roof, feeling utterly helpless against the river. There was nothing we could do except hope it wouldn’t take the whole building with it.
By 3:18 pm the water had filled the floor inside the building (left photo) and by 3:40pm the water had began flooding the shop (center and right photos)
At 4:04 (left photo) nearly the entire River Arts District is flooded and was still rising at 4:29 (right photo)
The Aftermath
Outside of FishBrains at 11:39 am the following day.
How did the damage to your shop compare to what you expected, and how have you processed the experience, especially given the losses others in the River Arts District faced?
The damage to the shop was way less than I expected – from the marks on the wall, there was about 4ft of water covering the entire store’s footprint (only about 900 Sq Ft). After seeing so many other buildings in the RAD have water at or above the roof, I was relieved when I got inside. I still have a lot of survivor guilt that somehow the shop made it through okay. So many people lost everything: entire glass-blowing studios, valuable art collections, woodworking equipment, a three-room movie theater, food trucks, breweries, vintage clothing stores, a coffee shop, and a winery. Some buildings in the RAD were gone entirely. From my perspective, I thought I’d be okay since I had small business insurance, so I stayed as positive as possible.
After going through everything, taking photos of all the damage, and adding it all up, it was just short of $8k of ruined products. Like I said, I still feel guilty it was only this much; I still have a building, I still had most of my merchandise, and I was able to do what many couldn’t—empty out the essential items the day before.
How did the contamination of the floodwater impact the cleanup process, and what challenges did you face in deciding what could be salvaged versus what had to be discarded due to potential mold and water damage?
The water was heavily contaminated—the French Broad River isn’t known for being the cleanest. With the flooding and everything coming from upstream, the mud and water were pretty gross and potentially toxic. There were reports from Marshall, a town farther down the river, where people got hit even worse than the RAD, with some getting chemical burns from the mud. So, we considered anything that got wet or muddy a total loss.
My glass store display cabinets had partial wood bottoms that were soggy and would eventually rot and mold, so we had to toss them. My main skate display was a vintage piece I found locally, and we decided to throw it out cause it would eventually mold as well. Mold is a huge problem in North Carolina, so we have to be really careful with water damage and stuff like that.
How did the damage to the River Arts District compare to other areas, and how has the flood affected the overall landscape of the RAD and Asheville?
Hope in the rubble (left), Marquee building damage (right).
Most of the RAD was entirely submerged, so I was luckier than most. Some large buildings were wiped out, reduced to just their foundations and a few bricks. Other places are still standing but were completely emptied of their contents, with walls missing or ceilings collapsing. We weren’t allowed to drive through the area for almost a week, so the full extent of the destruction is still unknown.
The River Arts District has been forever changed, and I’m incredibly grateful for how my situation turned out. Downtown Asheville didn’t suffer much damage—just a few trees uprooted by the wind. However, the entire city is still without running water, which will likely be an ongoing issue for Western North Carolina.
What specific losses in the River Arts District have impacted you the most?
Second Gear Building (left, right top and middle), all that’s left of Pleb Urban winery (bottom right).
The absence of the Pleb Urban Winery and the Second Gear building in the RAD really stands out in my mind. I used to drive past both of them every day on my way to the Foundation DIY skatepark, where we skate almost daily, so seeing them gone is surreal. It’s hard to wrap my head around. Most of us stayed off the roads to let relief crews move freely and assist those in need.
The Impact on Fishbrains
How has the flood impacted your ability to operate your shop and serve the local skating community, and what challenges have you faced with the damage to key skating areas?
I don’t sell online because I believe there are already plenty of great places to get skate gear online. Since the flooding on September 27th, I’ve been closed and don’t have a timeline for when I’ll be able to reopen. They’re tearing out the walls where the water touched because of concerns about mold and toxins. So, I’m closed until they give the all-clear to return. In the meantime, I’ve sold a few things to friends and people who reached out on Instagram for specific items, and I’ll continue to do that as much as I can.
The hardest part of all this is seeing how badly the River Arts District as a whole has been affected. It’s where we all skated, and the Foundation DIY skate park was flooded during the storm and is now covered in toxic sludge. The river greenway trail that loops around both sides of the French Broad River is buried under mud and debris—it’s about a 6-8 mile loop if I remember correctly. The hockey rink at Carrier Park was completely submerged for over three days and is now severely damaged.
We can’t even reach Carrier Park right now because the roads are still closed, so we don’t know the full extent of the damage yet. There’s a huge roller hockey league in Asheville with over 200 players, plus a big youth league, and their season was just starting. Now they can’t play, and I usually supply them with sticks, stick blades, pucks, wheels, and hockey tape.
What were some of the biggest financial losses you faced due to the flood, and how has the disruption impacted your overall business growth?
Rollerblade rental fleet (left and top right), flood damaged roller skates (bottom right).
The biggest losses were definitely the store displays, my Rollerblade rental fleet, and some of the higher-end roller skates. On top of that, there’s the loss of business itself. While I don’t make much money from rentals—I keep them affordable to encourage more people to try skating—they were starting to pick up, especially with the new location being so close to the river greenway trail.
To put things in perspective, in my first year at the old location, I did 63 rentals in total. In just three months at the new location, I had already done 54 rentals—and that was before the peak fall season. We get a lot of tourists coming into town for the fall foliage, and I was hoping the rental program would keep growing since the weather has been mild so far. Most people who rent skates end up coming back to buy a pair for themselves, so the rental program really helps drive skate sales for the shop.
How has your small business insurance and potential FEMA assistance played a role in your recovery efforts?
My small business insurance doesn’t cover anything lost due to water damage, so I’m considering not even filing a claim. The insurance company offered to replace electronics and tools, but I took all my electronics home before the flood. Plus, rollerblades and roller skates don’t require many tools, and I only lost about $50 worth of them. It doesn’t seem worth filing a claim and risking raising my insurance premium for such a small amount.
I haven’t applied for FEMA assistance yet because I wanted to let people with bigger needs get their help first before I seek any aid. Right now, I’m running a GoFundMe campaign (https://gofund.me/e357e5e4) to cover the financial losses from the flood, but it’s only for the damages, not for living expenses or lost business from being closed. Thankfully, I have some savings that will keep me afloat for a few months, so asking people to cover my personal expenses felt a bit greedy.
Have you looked into any state or federal assistance for small businesses, and what are your thoughts on applying for small business grants to help with rebuilding?
I’m not sure if there’s any assistance available from the state, but I’ve seen a few small business grants for those needing to rebuild. Honestly, I feel a bit guilty or weird about taking that kind of money when larger businesses need much more help, so I haven’t applied for any of those grants yet. I might consider it in the future, though.
The Future
What are your plans for reopening after the flood, and how has the history of flooding in the River Arts District impacted your decision to stay in the same location?
The plan is to reopen in the same location. Floods like this don’t happen often here—the last major one was in 2004, and the one before that was in 1916—so I think that’s why this caught everyone by surprise. The RAD is a known floodplain, so even if people wanted flood insurance, most companies wouldn’t offer it, or if they did, it would be prohibitively expensive. Asheville has a long history of rebuilding, and while I wasn’t born and raised here, I’ve put down some strong roots in this community.
What is the current timeline for reopening your shop, and how are you managing operations in the meantime while waiting to move back in?
I don’t have a timeline yet. Since I don’t own the building, I’m just waiting on The Radical to give me the go-ahead to move all my stuff back in. It’s all at my apartment right now, so I’ll continue to help local skaters with things they need if I have them. I’m not sure if I can order new products until I get what I lost replaced.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently to protect your shop before the flood hit?
If I had more warning, I think I would have moved a lot more stuff out of the building. The space is only 900 square feet, so with enough notice, I could have easily brought a lot more back to my apartment.
Community and Support
How has the community supported you after the flood, and how is the GoFundMe campaign going in helping you recover and rebuild?
What’s left of the FishBrains inventory is now in Mark’s apartment.
The community has been incredible—so many people came by the shop once the water receded to check in on me. My closest friends really stepped up, helping me move everything from the shop to my apartment and pulling out the displays so they could be thrown away. It was a team effort, for sure. The GoFundMe campaign is going really well, too! We’re more than halfway to my $8k goal, and it’s only been live for a few days. I’m completely floored by all the support, especially from friends and even strangers from far away.
What types of support are most needed right now for the River Arts District and surrounding areas after the flood, and how can people contribute to help both financially and with other essential donations?
Donations. At this point, most people in the RAD have assessed their damage and are working on getting back on track. As tough as it is to say, money is what everyone needs most right now, especially in the River Arts District. Bills don’t stop just because of a storm. There’s also concern about big developers swooping in to buy out smaller art galleries and studios, as some people are in desperate situations. The most impactful support is helping everyone pay rent, get back to creating and selling art, and restore their buildings and workspaces. The area will also need help with cleanup when the time comes, but that will vary depending on everyone’s situation.
The surrounding areas hit the hardest may still need other types of donations, like warm blankets, tents, cold-weather clothing, and similar essentials, as some people no longer have homes to return to. BelovedAsheville.com is a great resource for donating and finding information about volunteering to help those needing food, water, and clothing.
Are there any upcoming events, fundraisers, or other initiatives planned to help rebuild the area and support affected businesses?
Not that I’m aware of right now – I’m sure there will be in the future. Everyone is still pretty traumatized and dealing with things on their own time, but I know that Asheville will have plenty of fundraisers, farmers’ markets, and creative things to help people get back on their feet. We also still don’t have running water, so clean-up can’t happen until the water is turned on. There are people starting to dig wells, and water tanker trucks all over town, but I think drinking water and making sure people can flush the toilet are higher on the priority list over cleaning up mud.
How has the recent flooding and disruption affected you personally, especially in terms of your connection to skating and the skate community?
There’s been a lot; the trauma of seeing places you know and love disappear has been a new experience that I don’t wish on anyone. Not being able to skate has been a real drag on my mental health. Skating is more than just a hobby; it keeps our bodies moving. It clears my head; it’s seeing friends and being able to connect with people, so when that gets taken away, it can take its toll on a person. Recently, the local skate crew has been able to get a few sessions in at the Asheville Skatepark downtown, so that’s been nice.
What keeps you motivated to continue growing the skate community and bringing people together through skating, despite the challenges?
Getting more people on skates is what pushes me forward. Skating was my first true taste of freedom when I was a kid. Skating taught me so many life lessons, including how to be more accepting of others and how to face adversity and grow from it. It taught me confidence, and it made me the person I am today. There is nothing better than seeing someone’s face light up when they first stand up on skates and start to roll around. It’s almost impossible not to smile. That feeling of freedom and being able to help people find that is what keeps me going. Knowing there are people out there who struggle to find an activity that suits them and helps their body move in a way that feels good is something I really enjoy.
Skating has helped me find some of my best and lifelong friends; it can instantly connect you to someone else just because they are on skates. The skate community is where I feel the most confident, secure, and the most myself. If I can help someone else realize the same thing, that’s all I need. Bringing joy and connection through skating has been one of the main business goals of FishBrains, and so far, the community has grown, and more people are enjoying skating because of this little shop, and that honestly means the world to me.
