Brothers Rebuild Produce Stand Following Storm Devastation

Jeff and John Wolfe know all about the destruction Mother Nature can reap.

In 2005, the twin brothers, owners of Wolfe's Tractor Service, spent nine months in Mississippi under contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, helping to clean up following Hurricane Katrina.

"We do a lot of tree clearing and demolition work after storms hit," said Jeff Wolfe. "But we've never had a storm strike this close to home."

In addition to their tractor service, the brothers own Wolfe's Produce Stand on the southeast corner of U.S. 301 and Bloomingdale Avenue.

On Thursday afternoon, John Wolfe sat in his truck in front of the produce stand as the rain began pounding down from the unusual storm cell that ravaged the area. When the storm passed and he was able to get out of his truck, the farm stand he and his brother operated for three years was gone.

"I couldn't see anything from my truck because there was so much wind and rain and debris flying, but we've been told it was the same tornado that struck the Progress Village area," said John Wolfe. "I was sitting in my truck and the storm ripped the sideview mirror right off of it. It only lasted 10 to 15 seconds, but I knew it was bad."

That proved to be an understatement. When the storm cleared, the awning from the produce stand was lying in the center of U.S. 301. The heavy coolers storing eggs had been overturned. Oak trees on the 3-acre property, one as large as 50 inches around, had been snapped off at the trunks. A banner flew across Bloomingdale Avenue and landed on the church property at the northeast corner.

"It was a major loss," said Jeff Wolfe. "We'd just restocked and had all new produce on Wednesday. About half of it was destroyed. It was tossed around like toys. We had oranges mixed in with the watermelon and carrots mixed in with the oranges. We had Halloween decorations stored in plastic containers. They'd been ripped open and there were decorations strewn all over the place. And a lot of our jarred items -- the barbecue sauce, homemade salsa and apple cider -- were broken."

Although the coolers had been tipped over, the brothers were surprised to find only one egg cracked. While the produce stand had been ripped apart and thrown in every direction, the receipts from the day still sat on the counter, untouched. The stacks of firewood the brothers sell also was unaffected by the storm.

"You just never know. It was weird the way it destroyed some things and didn't touch others," said Jeff Wolfe. "You had huge oak trees coming down yet the eggs don't break. It knocked over coolers weighing hundreds of pounds, but didn't touch the receipts on the counter."

By Friday, friends, family and even strangers had converged at the produce stand to help clear away the debris and salvage any of the produce that could be saved.

"When I saw the destruction, I didn't even know where to start cleaning up," said Jeff Wolfe. "Luckily, we had chainsaws and other equipment from our other company and were able to get all the trees cleared out of the way."

The Wolfe brothers said they couldn't have accomplished the mammoth task without help.

"We just want to thank everyone who showed up to help out. There were people who provided us lunch and strangers who pitched in to help clean up. People really came through for us during this tough time," said Jeff Wolfe.

Nevertheless, the devastation took its toll on the brothers financially. Jeff Wolfe estimates it will take about $10,000 to rebuil the stand, replace the coolers and restock the produce. And, since there's no insurance, the funds will come out of their pockets.

"But we're going forward," said Jeff Wolfe. "We're rebuilding, bigger and better."

On Saturday, friends and family regrouped to help the brothers construct the new facility. They moved their salvaged produce to the side of the property so their mother could continue selling while construction took place.

Demonstrating an offbeat sense of humor, Jeff Wolfe posted a sign in front of the property that read, "Twister Sale."

"We've had a lot of loyal customers come in and buy stuff," he said. "They might buy $7 worth of produce and give us $10 and tell us to keep the change. Everyone's been great."

The support made the brothers even more determined to rebuild.

"We just took a hard hit but we're bouncing back pretty quick," said Jeff Wolfe. "I'm concerned about our customers in Progress Village who were hit a lot harder. If we hadn't been hit, we'd be out there right now helping them clean up."