YES, THEY’RE OPEN: Kohl’s, First Watch back in business after flooding
Closed for 34 days due to damaging August flooding, Kohl’s and its shopping complex neighbors are gradually reopening thanks to amazing behind-the-scenes efforts.
Thanks to an extraordinary level of beyond-the-call-of-duty efforts, the flood-ravaged shopping complex near the intersection of Ford and Sheldon roads in Canton is gradually returning to normalcy.
The complex’s anchor — Kohl’s — reopened Wednesday morning, several weeks before social media-fueled guesses predicted.
The backstory of Kohl’s sooner-than-expected reopening — it was closed for 34 days — is compelling and will be revealed on SocialHouseNews.com once management receives the thumbs up from its corporate office.
Pleasant surprise
Not sure what to expect when I entered the store’s front door 30 minutes after its reopening on Wednesday, I was pleasantly surprised by how normal the interior looked — especially given the magnitude of the flooding that swamped the area in late-August.
Kohl’s’ next-door-neighbor to the east, First Watch, opened this past weekend after a one-month closure due to the devastating impact of the flooding.
If the restaurant would have been a family-owned venture without flood insurance, it likely would not have been able to financially survive the damage the water that seeped into the business caused, SocialHouseNews.com learned.
Waiting game
X Golf — Kohl’s neighbor to the west — has reopened, but at less than 100% capacity. Less than half of the popular indoor-golf facilities bays are operational as the owners wait for replacement parts to be shipped from Japan.
Other businesses in the complex — Ulta and DSW — were closed one week or less, due in part to the fact the water from over-worked drainage infrastructure sloped toward the eastern section of the complex.
Other businesses in the complex haven’t recovered as quickly.
Patience required
Ivy Rehab For Kids Autism Center, which is located just west of Ulta, is still closed as interior renovation worked continued Wednesday.
The flooding near the intersection attracted national attention as local television stations and news websites showed images of people recklessly kayaking in the rising waters in front of Kohl’s.
Once-in-a-generation catastrophes like the one the Canton complex experienced generally require months of renovation work.
But thanks to several people — employees and good samaritans who stepped up to help — the complex is gradually returning to normal.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
