Floyd County restaurant sees growth following July floods

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - The Garrett area of Floyd County was one of many communities across the region that were rocked by flood waters in July 2022.

“Pure chaos,” said Garrett Fountain owner Amber Sparkman. “Everywhere you could look, there was people that were getting devastated. They lost their home, people lost their businesses, their place of work.”

The Garrett Fountain, a small restaurant in the heart of Garrett, was also impacted by flood waters and saw nearly three feet of water pour into the restaurant.

Soon after the waters receded, employees and owners started cleaning and rebuilding the restaurant while also trying to rebuild their own lives.

“Well, it’s been a struggle,” said Garrett Fountain manager Kasey Johnson. “Everybody’s trying to bounce back to work and rebuild at home and financially and... we’re all just one big happy family trying to make it.”

Just a little more than a week after the floods, the Fountain was back in business and operation at full capacity.

“It meant everything to come back to work and kind of step away from your home life to come here and be a part of something greater,” said Johnson.

Sparkman says that the “Fountain Family” has grown closer than ever and that the business has seen growth since its reopening thanks to the love and support of its community and its customers throughout this traumatic experience.

“They came out when they didn’t have the money to spare, and they still came out to support us because they wanted to see these doors stay open and that’s just been amazing,” said Sparkman.

Sparkman also added that she would like to personally thank each and every customer of the restaurant and says none of this would have been possible without God.

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