As students celebrated spring festivities on Palmer Street, another kind of celebration was occurring on the other side of Athens for a business wiped out by the September tornado.
Autotech Service Center, 2079 E. State St., celebrated a grand reopening Saturday, as guests gathered to enjoy food and refreshments as they celebrated the business’ return.
September’s tornado destroyed the building as well as some equipment, said Jeff Higgins, the center’s owner.
Official rebuilding of Autotech began Dec. 1, but was delayed because of insurance problems, he said.
Insurance paid for the reconstruction, but Higgins said he could not estimate the total amount it cost to rebuild.
“We’ve seen a lot of customers come back, but I’m sure we lost some customers and some employees who have moved on,” Higgins said.
Autotech officially reopened March 28. The grand reopening celebration was delayed because shop workers were getting everything reorganized, he said.
“Business is still getting there, but we’re happy with the return so far,” he added.
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