Coffee on the Rocks, owned and operated by Bruce and Rebecca Godzik, was completely destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Building, home, land, their income and irreplaceable photos, artwork, antiques and collectables from Bruce’s parents and grandparents were all destroyed in under 30 minutes. They were left with nothing, not even the land.
Bruce has been coming to Chimney Rock since his parents’ bought property at Rumbling Bald in 1979. His parents retired here in 2005 after buying a farm in the Bills Creek area. Bruce opted for a slower pace of life than his art and photography career in Florida and followed them in 2009. He bought 435 Main Street in the Village and turned the old Santa Claus Lane into Coffee on the Rocks, opening in January of 2010.
He offered Old Time Photo’s and delicious coffee drinks and soon became a destination spot for visitors. In December of 2023 he married Rebecca and she became part of the Village community. They were cruising into the Fall tourist season, as we all were, when the rains picked up in late September 2024. On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Bruce was busy evacuating people along the banks of the Rocky Broad River as the area prepared for the onslaught of Helene.
Bruce, Assistant Chief of the Chimney Rock Fire Department, spent the night in the Department and woke the next morning to see the river raging and full. Breakfast was being prepared in the Fire Department and he went to check on his business and get Rebecca to join him for breakfast. She was busy checking the basement and they were both concerned about water seeping into their basement storage area. At 8:30 am the water was not yet in his back yard along the river and he was not overly concerned because he had never seen it in the back yard.
By 9 am Bruce was finishing breakfast at the Fire Department and he could see debris piling up on the Chimney Rock State Park entrance bridge. He said within minutes water began coursing down Main Street and then it became like a Tsunami. The Brewery, then Michaels, Village Scoop, and Coffee on the Rocks disintegrated one by one. The walls of his business just collapsed and the roof was swept down the river. He watched a terrifying parade of houses, cars, campers, trees, and propane tanks charge downstream in the flood.
It was difficult for Bruce to watch and hard for him to believe it was happening. He and Rebecca had lost everything, including their beloved cat, Josie. The new deck he was almost finished with. The concrete reinforcements he had put into and around his building’s foundation. They had gone from successful business owners to homeless in 30 minutes. All they had were the clothes on their back.
It has been an extremely difficult year to say the least. Bruce had to take another job and Rebecca spent time in Florida with her daughter. Bruce remained active as a member of the Chimney Rock Village Council and a volunteer fireman. He reviewed plans from the TASK Force and voted on many issues before the Council regarding the Village’s future.
One year later Bruce has managed to reopen a temporary location at the Chimney Rock Smokehouse. It is little more than a corner, almost a coffee cart, offering some coffee drinks and his roasted bagged coffee beans under the trade name, Lake Lure Coffee Roasters. Rebecca has started college, studying Massage therapy and helps out in the storefront, but it is hard for both of them. Directly across from their temporary spot is the river and the missing building.
They don’t know what the future holds but Bruce wants to keep the business going. The Village is working on providing a new location for displaced businesses near the Village Post Office using grant money from NC Commerce. But that will take about 2 years.
In the meantime, Bruce invites customers to stop by his temporary spot. He said it is rewarding and therapeutic to reconnect and talk with his old customers. He feels the Village has come a long way and credits the support and hard work of the many volunteers and Spokes of Hope. He worries that people are forgetting what was there on the west edge of downtown. The businesses, homes, and what people had built have all been washed away and erased from the map.
“It is hard to fathom because it happened so fast,” he says. “I would caution people to be prepared, back up your computer to the cloud, put valuables in a safe deposit box, don’t take preparation lightly, have backups.” And don’t forget to visit Bruce Friday, Saturday, or Sunday at his temporary location at the Chimney Rock Smokehouse.