Flooding Forces Boston Businesses To Start From Scratch

BOSTON — The new coronavirus pandemic has devastated local businesses, but for a group of artisan shops in the South End, a water main break made things even worse.

On Tuesday night, a water main break in the 500th block of Harrison Aveune flooded the streets, forced resident evacuations and destroyed the merchandise at several businesses, Boston Magazine reported.

Ash & Rose, a women's fashion boutique in the South End’s SoWa district, was flooded under 6 feet of muddy water. Store fixtures, sewing machines and computers were destroyed. Mary Savoca, who owns the business with her mother, Nea, said she's worried most of the merchandise was also made unsalvageable. Other businesses, including Cinquecento and Guerra and Savoca, also sustained significant damage.

"If artists cannot sell their creations, it’s difficult to pay rent; it’s difficult to buy food,” Guerra told Boston Magazine. "If this community isn’t supported, it’s done."

For more on this story, check out Boston Magazine.