Attleboro Business Weathers the Storm

Total damage figures from Hurricane Irene have yet to be tallied, but foron Union Street lost business has amounted to thousands of dollars according to Jonathan's owner Ann Friedman.

"We started doing some storm preparation at the end of the day on Saturday, moving perishible items into the freezers," Friedman said. "We lost power on Sunday at 9 a.m. and were unable to open," she added.

On Monday morning, still without power, Friedman headed out to Attleboro Ice and Oil on Pleasant street and purchased ten large bags of ice and proceeded to ice down chests of food containing the meats, cheeses, milks and creams. Ice replacement continued in six hour shifts.  

Figuring that a portable generator would provide relief, Friedman searched around without any luck until she tried the Aubuchon Hardware in Norton where she was told that they may be getting some generators in on the next shipment which was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday morning.  

By 10 a.m. Tuesday, Friedman had the generator up and running and was able to power up two freezers, a refrigerator and a "reach-in" soda chest located behind the counter.

"The key to using the generator is to not overload it," Friedman said.  "We're not able to use it for the lights but are happy to be able to run the refrigeration units, she said.

"We've also been able to set up a sidewalk barbecue grill and offer a couple of $4.00 and $5.00 hot dog and cheeseburger lunches," Friedman said. "We want to be able to help people and not take advantage of folks in difficult times, however, we still need to stay in business.

"We care about each other a lot in this coffee shop and we're always mindful of the fact that there are many people who are in much worse shape than we are," Friedman said. "Sometimes you just have to pick yourself up and make the best out of a difficult situation."