Riverfest 2018 helps bring business back to downtown Wilmington

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After getting delayed for a couple months, Riverfest is back. The event got pushed back by Hurricane Florence.

“We wouldn’t make it without support. And I think people thought that downtown was flooded and it’s closed. It’s not. It’s open. It’s vibrant,” said Lorri Honeycutt, the owner of Big World Photo.

Honeycutt says she has been coming to Riverfest for several years, and that the show must go on. Pushed back by Hurricane Florence, Riverfest went off with a hit this weekend.

It is one of the first big opportunities since Florence for local business owners to get back on their feet.

“We were projected to move in in October and the hurricane came and the whole store got pretty much demolished,” said Louise Rose, the co-owner of Desert Rose.

Rose says their shop was supposed to open right on Front Street. Instead, they have been relying on events like Riverfest to bring in business.

“It’s so important to come out to things like this, especially when you’re local. Just to support local businesses. We definitely lost a lot of business based on the hurricane,” said Rose.

Rose says it’s great to see hundreds of people come out to support the community. Honeycutt says she can see how excited people are to come out, especially this year.

“This weekend has been a really upbeat weekend for Wilmington. Our weather is beautiful. But everyone coming out seems to be feeling a lot better about the recovery of our city,” said Honeycutt.

Honeycutt says Riverfest is helping bring the whole city back to life. Vendors say they had a great turnout and almost as much business as they usually do.