JOPLIN, Mo. - The next few weeks will bring new grand openings of businesses that had to rebuild after the Joplin tornado.
The May 22nd tornado wiped away more than 500 businesses, and left 5,000 people without a place to work. Reconstruction began in the weeks after the storm. Now, nearly six months later, residents are finally seeing several retailers open again.
In recent days a lot of places have reopened on hard-hit Range Line Road. Those retailers include Aldi, Wendy’s, Slumberland, and Macadoodle’s.
City leaders say the new Walmart is almost complete, and will reopen its doors on November 9th. Home Depot, meanwhile, is putting the final touches on its new store opening in January. And in the last couple of weeks, the foundation has been poured for the new academy sports store.
“All the customers coming in. you will see familiar faces and they say, oh my goodness you are open, and it is a sense of relief, said T.J. Cluck, manager of Macadoodle’s It’s a tragic thing, but it is something that is going to turn out very well for the city of Joplin”
The Joplin Chamber of Commerce said 82% of the tornado-damaged or destroyed businesses in Joplin are rebuilding, relocating, or have already reopened.
