ASHEVILLE, N.C. — For nearly four decades, VJ's Auto Service served as more than just a vehicle maintenance shop for the Asheville community. The family-run business provided a trusted space where generations of customers received service, but Hurricane Helene wiped out 39 years of work in just hours.

Ricky Brown Sr. and his wife, Vivian Brown, started the business in 1986 with little more than determination and hope. What began as an uncertain venture has become a cornerstone of the Asheville community.

"He came home one day and said he and one of his friends were gonna start a mechanic shop, and I thought he was crazy," Vivian Brown recalled. "And you know back then we didn't have that much, but I was so afraid that we was gonna lose everything we had. But he made it work."

The Browns

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