By Kayla Norris
” We can’t work a chainsaw, we can’t pave a road, but we do know clothes,’”
On Nov. 3., 2024, just weeks after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the small town of Boone, N.C., I found myself in the back of Anna Banana’s, in what once was a storage room and is now a Hurricane Relief Store. The small space was packed tight with clothes—jeans, blouses, jackets and flannels everywhere you look. There was a shoe rack in front of a floral black-and-white divider, sectioning the relief store off into its own space. It was cozy; small, colorful and warm.
With me in this space was the general manager of the store, Ali Aita. Her presence added to the comfortable atmosphere, her bright and cheerful energy lit up the space and made it come alive. When asked about her experience at Anna Banana’s, she described herself as the “general bananager.” She had been working there since 2019, and what started out as just an internship for her major turned into a job and a family that she adored.
Anna Banana’s is a consignment store in Boone that was started in 2010 by founder Anna Roseman. They’re located on the corner of King Street and Depot Street, and their store consists of a highly curated selection of vintage and upcycled clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories. The walls are covered in funky art, neon lights, book and newspaper clippings, and eccentric doodles. There are colorful rugs, cool furniture and a welcoming staff. Anna Banana’s has become a staple in the Boone thrifting scene, and it has now cemented itself not only as an iconic thrift store, but a site for mutual aid in the wake of devastation. Ali admitted that the welcoming environment of the staff was what made mutual aid possible. “It’s really good here…We’re all taking care of each other, right? And that way we can take care of the community,” said Ali.
The staff created the relief store in response to the devastation that Hurricane Helene brought to Boone. The hurricane flooded buildings, destroyed roads and obliterated people’s livelihoods. In the aftermath, many people were looking for ways to help, for ways to connect. Ali explained that this feeling was the catalyst for creating the relief store: “Me and Anna were like, ‘What do we do to help?’ We were sitting here looking at each other like, ‘We can’t work a chainsaw, we can’t pave a road, but we do know clothes,’” she said.
Although Anna Banana’s itself suffered some water damage to both its ceiling and its floor, the staff kicked into action immediately. On Oct.1., 2024, just several days after the worst of the storm had hit, Anna Roseman made a video on Anna Banana’s Instagram page announcing a free clothing drive to be open on Oct. 3. The goal was to have a place for people affected by the hurricane to be able to access stylish, curated clothes for free. The staff cleared out the back section of their store to make room for donations, and by Oct. 4. they had received so many donations that the entire back section of their store was filled, as well as the hallway.
During our conversation in Nov., Ali revealed that they are still giving away back stock from that initial wave of donations. She remarked that the success of this temporary clothing drive led to it being a more permanent part of the store. “I think that this is going to be a semi-permanent situation back here, because no matter what, if there’s a storm or if it’s just regular life, people need some help, and we want to just help,” she said.
Since then, the staff downsized the store from the entire back section of the building to a homey corner in the back, as the number of people utilizing it and their inventory started to decrease. The staff also created a section on their website where individuals could request clothing either for themselves or their communities.
I asked Ali about the community’s response to the relief store, and she described that it had been extraordinary. “Everybody that has come to receive the free clothes has been super, super thankful and amazed that all this stuff is free because it’s nice stuff in here… So everybody’s been overwhelmingly thankful, and we’re thankful that we have the ability to provide this,” she said.
As our conversation came to an end, Ali and I talked about the importance of mutual aid and helping out the community. “I think that mutual aid is super important, because it’s like, take care of your neighbor. I mean, period,” explained Ali. “That’s how I was raised, you know, and this community has really shown me, no matter what…like you’re just taking care of your neighbor… You can only rely on yourself and your neighbors really.”
