BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Birmingham area small businesses, already struggling to recover from the deepest downturn since the Great Depression, now must cope with the harsh legacy of devastating tornadoes that wrecked communities and disrupted commerce.
Some owners saw their businesses destroyed or damaged and wonder how they will put things back together.
Aquil Abdur-Rasheed is one of them.
When he opened Muzik N More in Five Points West a few years ago, he already had to contend with the fact that consumers affected by the downturn had cut back on buying CDs or had moved to downloading music.
In January, Abdur-Rasheed got a boost by relocating to a higher-profile space in a shopping center at 1401 Third Ave. West.
The came April 27 and winds that ripped part of the roof off the building that housed his record store and other businesses. The timing couldn't have been worse: Abdur-Rasheed was coordinating a community block party in the parking lot scheduled for two days later meant to show off businesses there.
"The relocation was going well, but that storm dealt me a strong blow," said Abdur-Rasheed, who estimates he lost about $10,000 in clothing and music merchandise from rain damage. "This is my sole source of income."
Muzik N More is among hundreds of businesses in the metro Birmingham area, and thousands across the state, affected by violent storms that could end up being Alabama's most costly natural disaster, with losses topping $2 billion.
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