Cape Coral bagel shop still closed six months after Irma

A bagel shop is still closed six months after Hurricane Irma hit Southwest Florida.

“It ended just like in the blink of an eye for everyone,” said Sal Cossentino, who co-owned All About Bagels and More.

The damage was extensive, and six months ago, the ceiling of the restaurant caved in with insulation and sheet rock scattered across the floor.

“Water came in through the ceiling, and obviously you can’t deal with mold and all that in the food business, so we couldn’t take a chance like that,” Cossentino said.

He also said he was shocked by the extensive damage to the roof.

“I never realized how bad the roof was until the hurricane really came here,” Cossentino said.

Hurricane Irma was estimated to have impacted more than two million businesses across the state, according to research by Dun and Bradstreet, an analytic company. In addition, nearly 40 percent of small businesses will never reopen after a disaster, according to FEMA.

Following the storm, his employees had to look for other jobs. Cossentino said some even left the state.

Six months later, the landlord Cossentino said the landlord has made improvements to the building, but there is more to be done and he doesn’t know when it will reopen as a bagel shop.