Chimney Rock NC - Help us rebuild The Best View Inn

Help Us Rebuild Our Family Motel and Restore Chimney Rock After Hurricane Helene

Hi, we’re Jonathan and Tonya, and we’re reaching out for help after a difficult turn of events. Jonathan grew up here in Hendersonville, NC, and graduated in 2012. After high school, he moved to Florida, which is where he met Tonya. After spending a few years in Florida, we moved back to North Carolina and have called it home for the past six years.

In August of 2023, my brother Hansel, my sister Stephanie, and I (Jonathan) bought an old motel in Chimney Rock, NC. Our dream was to restore this historic spot and bring new life to the community. Over the past year, we’ve poured our hearts, sweat, and resources into gutting the building, stripping it down to the bare dirt floor. The walls, thankfully made of block, saved us from having to demolish it entirely.

We were nearing a major milestone—about to start hanging drywall—when Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina. The devastation in Chimney Rock has been heartbreaking, with much of the town destroyed. We feel incredibly blessed that our motel is still standing, but we weren’t spared from the storm’s impact. We lost all of our newly purchased materials and inventory—everything from appliances to flooring, sinks, toilets, showers, and much more, all of which were being stored in a center building that was wiped out by the floodwaters.

To make matters worse, we didn’t have insurance for our motel. Now, we’re left with the overwhelming task of starting from scratch while many of our neighbors have lost even more. It’s going to take a lot of work to rebuild not just our motel, but the entire community we love.

That’s why we’re asking for help. We’re determined to see this project through and help Chimney Rock recover, but we can’t do it alone. Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a huge difference as we put the fund's we raise to restore our motel and the spirit of our town.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support, and for standing with us during this challenging time.

With gratitude,

Jonathan, Tonya, Hansel, and Stephanie Graef