BRANCHVILLE -- It's no secret that Branchville is still struggling to make a comeback from a March 15 tornado that wrecked havoc in the general area, devastating several downtown businesses and the town hall.

One man's single-minded determination to reopen Neil Ott's Country Store, however, could provide a much-needed shot in the arm to the town's collective psyche.

Chris Ott, son of the man who owned and operated the business at the corner of U.S. 78 and 21 for 50 years, says he is not about to let Branchville languish without its only grocery store.

"I took over the store in April 2005, right after my dad died," Ott said. "The building was destroyed, and the oldest portion of it had to be condemned. It took a couple of months for that to be demolished, but I was able to salvage half of the structure. I plan on putting up another building next to the part that is still standing."

Looking at the side of what remains of Ott's original store, one can see a gaping hole among the debris where the demolition took place. Store shelves and a few remnant items are left open to the outside elements until the rebuilding can commence.

Ott says he's looking at a cost of $100,000-$200,000 to rebuild and renovate.

"I just want to be able to restore what was a regular mom-and-pop grocery store to Branchville but one that will be much improved over what was destroyed," he said.

"Prior to the tornado business was down, but you have to realize what I had," Ott added. "This was a raggedy old building that was around 100 years old that I had to put money into every week just for maintenance. It wasn't very attractive."

He says many people from the surrounding area, including Smoaks, patronized his business before the storm. Those same people have been hit with double crushing blows of steadily increasing gas prices and higher food costs since Ott's Country Store closed following the twister.

"There isn't a day that goes by where people won't ask me when I'm reopening," Ott said. "I even had someone ask me that recently when I was in Charleston. People are now realizing that the store is missed, and with the cost of gas going up, it becomes more important to have a grocery store here."

Ott briefly toyed with the idea of applying for the low-interest Small Business Administration disaster loan following the natural disaster but changed his mind.

"I didn't apply for the loan because it was too much paperwork and it wasn't that much help anyway," he said. "I got the replacement cost from my insurance on the building but if I have to, I'll take out a loan to pay for it."

Ott added, "Once I get my blueprints ready, I'll start construction around the last of August or the first of September. Hopefully, the store should be ready anywhere from Thanksgiving to the first of the year."

Branchville Mayor Tim Cooner is supportive of Ott's efforts, noting that having a grocery store in town again would mean a lot, especially considering the emotional damage suffered by townspeople left in the tornado's wake.

"A lot of senior citizens in our community don't have a means of transportation to go out of town to buy groceries, so we are hoping (Ott) can get something worked out," Cooner said. "I was hoping he would be under construction by now because we definitely need a grocery store. With gas at $4 a gallon and senior citizens having to pay somebody $40-$50 just to go to Orangeburg to grocery shop, that really puts a hurt on them."

Ott, a former U.S. Marine with 13 years' active duty and reserve experience, has also served a year's tour of duty in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province with his current Army Reserve unit, the 360th Civil Affairs at Fort Jackson. Even the mural on one side of the store -- the Statue of Liberty, the American flag and an eagle -- is a tangible representation of Ott's resolve. He says he feels a duty to provide Branchville with a grocery store in order to help out its residents.

"At first, W. Lee Flowers of Stanton, who sold the inventory that was used here for over 30 years, told me they wouldn't sell to me if I rebuilt the store," Ott said. "Within the last week, however, they called back to tell me they had changed their mind. They're also helping me out by giving me their suggestions and insight on how to draw up workable floor plans for the structure. My dad and I always thought a lot of Flowers, and I'm glad that business relationship will continue. Even if Flowers hadn't decided to keep selling to me, I would have found another supplier because my mind is set.

"I'm rebuilding."

T&D Correspondent Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at pmhsarata@aol.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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