HARTFORD/COSBY-"We're devastated!"

This short sentence pretty well sums up the feelings of many local business owners whose firms are located in Hartford and Cosby.

Last Sunday morning's massive rock slide onto I-40, just over the TN/NC state line, not only blocked all four lanes of traffic, but effectively wiped out the majority of business for restaurants, motels, service stations, and markets along the I-40 corridor and Hwy. 321.

"The only thing I've done is give directions on how to get back home," said Jessie Williams, who works at Shirley's Restaurant in Cosby. "The economy's already bad, and this just made it worse. The small businesses will really be hurt 'cause they depend on travelers."

Echoing Williams was Jennifer Grove, who works at Seven Springs Market & Deli. "If I had a quarter for each time I've given directions, I'd be a millionaire."

Grove said the morning after the slide found Seven Springs Market & Deli "packed with people."

"They'd been in Gatlinburg and were then headed for home."

Business at Carver's Orchard and Restaurant was still brisk Thursday morning, but notably absent from the parking lot were many vehicles from areas north and/or east of the slide.

A breakdown of license plates in Carver's parking lot included Alabama (2), Florida (3), Georgia (1), Mississippi (3), Louisiana (2), Ohio (1), and North Carolina (1), as well as the Tennessee counties of Hamblen, Knox, Blount, and Sevier.

Among the shoppers there were Robbie and Ruth Mistretta, who said this was their tenth year traveling to Cosby to purchase fruit.

"Friends of ours have been coming for 30 years or so and told us about Carver's," said Ruth Mistretta. "People in the habit of coming to Carver's will find a way to get here."

"We've had lots of people asking for directions," said a hostess in the adjacent Carver's Applehouse Restaurant. "We had a very busy weekend and on Monday we fed lots of big tables."

"But," she added, "many of these were people who were already in Gatlinburg when the slide came."

Down the road at A & M Family Grocery, Amy Douglas, an employee, said business there had remained steady. "We have mostly local business," she said.

Cosby BBQ won't be too affected by the slide, for they plan to close for the season today, according to Sherri Wilson.

"We've had a substantial loss, "said David McGaha, Cracker Barrel manager. "It's hard to say anything percentage wise, but it's noticeably affected our business.

"We're devastated," said Harold Cates, as he surveyed a nearly empty parking lot at Downtown Hartford Citgo, just off I-40.

"We're dead," added his wife Joan. "We're still getting stragglers asking for directions."

"Our truck business is 100 percent gone," he continued.

Already the Cateses have cut hours at the business back two hours. "We've had 11 employees," he said, "but we're going to have to lay some off."

Both he and his wife praised the support of their local customers. "We have good local business," he said.

Perhaps nowhere is the effects of Saturday's slide more evident than at the Hartford Welcome Center.

Normally thousands of travelers can be found there during this peak travel season, but Friday afternoon, only six vehicles were in the parking lot.

Of these, four were local.

"But we still have had tour buses," said Mary Ann Leatherwood, "and we have enough visitors that we have to stay out here in the lobby to help them."

Almost immediately a couple traveling to South Carolina came through the doors, map in hand, seeking confirmation of the best route around the slide.

Another Hartford business owner, Brenda Shultz of Rafting in the Smokies, praised highway officials.

"We're still selectively open," said Shultz, whose business, along with other rafting firms continues to recover from the droughts of the last two years.

"The other day we had a group of 150 rafters. TDOT allowed us to move the barrels at Waterville and take our customers up the river. Then we put the barrels right back."

"Hartford is a ghost town," she ended.

Ironically, the rerouting of traffic through downtown Newport has proven a boon for some of the businesses along Hwy. 25/70.

Imogene Turner, owner of Ace Antiques, said, "I had to work over two hours on Monday. I've had several customers in the shop from as far away as Texas and New England, who had been rerouted our way."

Local officials continue to work with state and federal highway officials.

"We are very concerned about the effects the slide will have on our economy here in Newport and Cocke County," said Don Hurst, Cocke County Partnership President.

"Of course, we hope the cleanup will move quickly and I-40 will open sooner than expected. However, we have already contacted the Governor's office, as well as the offices of Congressman Roe and Senators Alexander and Corker. We have asked that additional federal assistance be made available to open this most important transportation corridor. We have also contacted State Senator Steve Southerland and Representative Eddie Yokley to ask for their help. The nearly 30,000 vehicle average daily traffic count on I-40 supports many of our businesses and is vital to our tax collections in the city and county."