The Florissant Meadows mall has been vacant for months as businesses continue to recover from the damage left by the water.
Florissant, Missouri — A Florissant business has reopened after being closed for nearly five months.
The July floods nearly destroyed everything in and around the photography studio.
The normally busy Florissant Meadows mall has been vacant for the past few months as several businesses continue to recover from the damage left by the water.
5 On Your Side spoke to Tina Ditto in late August, when her dream photography studio was largely empty.
The walls were completely torn down and the floor was damaged, but on Sunday 12th December. On the 11th, Ditto has to stand in her renovated studio and open her door again.
This is the day she thought would never come.
The TSDitto photography studio and gallery in Florissand was filled with laughter and laughter on Sunday morning.
Owner and chief photographer Tina Ditto said she was devastated when the floods hit, but now she sees hope.
“I believe God gave me this picture to keep me going, and with each passing day it gets closer to my dream,” she said.
July 26, 2022 A dream that was almost taken away by Ditto.
“I lost almost everything. Everything from the front of the studio was washed to the back of the studio. Everything from the back was washed to the front, so it was devastating. Some of it was irreplaceable,” she said Say.
Ditto opened her studio just two years after losing her daughter Melissa in a car accident.
Now, she can stand in her newly carpeted and freshly painted studio because her daughter’s presence is felt in her every move.
“I think she’s here. She’s always with me, I’m always asking for her, lift me up, lift me up, so I feel like I’m standing up straight today,” Dito said.
The store was filled with red and green holiday decorations, and one by one people came forward to take pictures.
Even Florissant Mayor Timothy Lowery came to the grand reopening.
“It’s really important to us to come back and visit these stores and our small businesses because that’s the heart of our community,” he said.
Lowery said it was heartbreaking to see his city, especially malls, hit so hard by the July floods.
“It was absolutely devastating. The whole mall, the whole area was destroyed. We had a whole apartment building…it was underwater…so I mean…. . . We’ve definitely had a lot of damage in this city, he said.
While turning the cameras and lights back on wasn’t easy, Ditto said, with the help of her team and her own personal angel, she made the four walls feel like home again.
“I can’t give up. I can’t give up because she left me with a dream…I need to make it happen…I’ll make it until my legs burn out…so I’m going to try and I’m going to do my best Come back,” she said.
There are other stores reopening at the Florissant Meadows Mall.
Mayor Lowery said they want to let everyone know that these stores are open so the community can help these business owners continue to recover.
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