A few hours before reopening, Waverly Cash Saver employees pack freezers with ice cream and scan rows of packaged salad mix.

They’re getting the grocery store ready for its first customers since the August flood. It’s just before a quick pep talk from John Curtis.

“It’s going to be crazy. It’s going to be exciting,” he tells them. “It’s going to be fun. I want you all to know that we love you.”

Curtis co-owns Cash Saver with his business partner, David Hensley. He’s been at the forefront of the store’s recovery for the past few months.

The grocery market is just one of dozens of bushiness impacted by the flood. It was also one of the hardest-hit.

But it only took two days for Curtis and Hensley to decide they’d rebuild in the community. The store is Waverly’s only neighborhood supermarket — although there is a Walmart in town.

Paige Pfleger WPLN News

Waverly Cash Saver was damaged in the August flood. Employees and volunteers have spent the past few months rebuilding the place.

“I’m a firm believer in faith, in prayer, and I think we did due diligence there on the front end,” Curtis says. “We prayed about this. We knew that this was what we were supposed to do.”

When news spread that the shop was overwhelmed with water during the flood, residents pitched in to make sure the store had a timely rebound. Strangers even took part in the recovery by delivering food to volunteers during the cleanup.

“And to be on the receiving end of that, it’s been very awesome to see,” Curtis says.

A few months ago, the grocery store was pitch black and gutted. The parking lot was filled with storage containers and building materials.

Paige Pfleger WPLN News

At the end of November, Cash Saver was illuminated by flood lights as workers rebuilt and repaired.

Now, Cash Saver is packed with cars and customers. The owners worked with a local bank to assist with the recovery.

Waverly resident Debi Shew showed up a few hours early after hearing the grocery store was reopening.

“I just found out – probably 40 minutes ago – that they were opening at noon, and we just happened to be here,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Yes, I get real milk finally.’”

Shew says she’s been driving 18 miles from her home to shop at a grocery store that she likes. She even joked about going vegetarian for a few weeks.

Another loyal customer, Gladys Wright, also arrived early. Before the flood, she says, most of her shopping was done at the neighborhood grocery.

“I think we’re real lucky to have the store back, very lucky,” says Wright, sitting in a silver sedan with a shopping cart already in hand.

The rural town still has a long road ahead before it’s fully recovered. But the reopening of Waverly Cash Saver is a milestone that residents, like Wright, are celebrating.

Damon Mitchell WPLN News

Gladys Wright came to the Cash Saver early.