Leave or stay !!

It was that feeling of “déjà vu”, when I first stepped into East Nashville. Somehow it felt like I had been living here for a long time and I immediately felt familiar with the area. Most of the people in Nashville generally think that it is a rather run down and dangerous area with a lot of problems and troubles. But being from Cairo, Egypt and well acquainted with the history of my own country, I tend to appreciate the value of old historical places. Others also noticed, well before me, the Victorian look of most of the homes, and consequently thought of the kind of equity that one could create by restoring such properties, once the area would revive its old charm.
However, I am referring here to another “wealth” of this historic neighborhood. I want to talk about its special community that encouraged me more than once to start and maintain a business there. Being from a big city, it was hard at first to settle in a place like Nashville, where life is very different from the anonymity and speed of big urban places. People here know you by your name, they know quite a little bit about you and there is always a reason for a conversation. In East Nashville, we do have our own E-mail list serve that connects more than 15,000 people and they could just be talking about anything, at any time: from searching for a good plumber to reporting thieves or lost pets or even giving a business review. East Nashville has been a hub for all musicians and song writers for many years as Nashville’s affiliation with the music business is bringing a never ending stream of people and musicians from all over the world to start a music carrier or to find a business related opportunity; and by doing so, most hit East Nashville because it is famous for being the “artistic neighborhood”. They bring with them their own culture and ideas, enriching the community even more. This ongoing flow of newcomers and the diversity they bring to the area, make the East Side a particular place within Nashville.
Embedded in this local network is my pizza shop, a restaurant offering Italian and Mediterranean specialties. Being from a background of engineering, I added this business about ten years ago to my professional experiences. It has never been easy and was always very time-consuming, but it was also very fulfilling seeing it grow from the small shop where we once started to the building and restaurant that it is now. We weathered the time and quite a few crises – like the one I am going to tell you about here. I received the terrifying call in the early Saturday afternoon, my longstanding employee’s voice was shaky, gasping for air: “The shop is on fire!” Then after gathering himself together he continued to explain that while he was opening the back door, he heard an explosion and saw the flames moving towards him. However, he was trying to pull the fire extinguisher from the wall, but soon realized that only fire fighters would have the necessary equipment to master this fire. It was simply too large to be contained with the simple equipment at his disposition. So he made the call and fortunately the fire station one block away send their fire trucks the same moment. By the time, I arrived at the location, the fire was extinguished. But it had not been a small fire by any means, at least not in its consequences. Looking at the damage, I soon realized that it was substantial and would close us for quite some time, if not weeks. For someone in my position that means a significant loss of income while I still have to carry the usual costs that come with a business. It means the loss of my entire food inventory and it also means considerable expenses to repair and restore the damage. Would I be able and prepared enough to overcome this critical situation or would it cost me my business, the main source of my family’s income?
I was considering the damage: floor and ceiling were completely destructed and needed to be restored, chairs and tables had to be replaced, a complete bathroom was gone, melted in the flames, repainting the walls seemed to be the smallest of my problems…Little by little my staff arrived, one after the other in shock about what had happened. I could realize the fear in their eyes; they needed their job and their money. The average restaurant worker is not prepared for these kinds of emergencies, savings are scarce and no tip at the end of the night or pay at the end of the week can have a huge impact on these people’s lives. Realizing that somehow we were all in the same boat I knew I had to come up with something. Giving up was just not an option.
“As you can see for yourself, we are burnt down, but this is not the end!” I heard myself say. “The one who stays with me has a job. The one who wants to leave, come and get your money - but do not come back later! We are going to clean this mess and we will be open in a week and running!” I added. “In a week” meant a nearly impossible job and they knew it was going to be backbreaking and even with enormous efforts it would remain unlikely. However, nobody left that day or any of the following days. We started cleaning, scrubbing ceilings, repairing and replacing anything from light fixtures to toilet flushers, scraping off old flooring and fixing walls. It was a huge effort, but once we started the work, optimism set in and we were able to see the new potential that came with the destruction – the complete makeover of the restaurant. The new color combinations we chose made the place look much fancier and inviting. As a result, the outlook of a “new” restaurant was so inspiring and motivating  that after a week of unmatched endeavors, we indeed succeeded to open up for business, just in time to serve our customers for the week end. And a week end it was! During the week, I had come across some postings of people missing us and wondering when the restaurant would open for business again and if it would open again – an option that some competitors were probably hoping for aloud. However, I had not anticipated the rush that happened to us once our doors opened that Saturday evening. It was an outpour of support and patronage. All our regulars customers were there that night and many of those who I had not seen in a while returned to assure me that they are still my customers. News was exchanged and questions of concern and sympathy needed to be addressed. Many feared that we would not make it any time soon or at all. They heard about the fire for the first time as I had tried to keep the cause of the closure to myself.
As the evening passed, I felt exhausted from the efforts of the last days, but also happy and grateful that things had worked out once again for us and that we are continuing to be part of the East Nashvillian neighborhood and its outstanding community.