GAYLORD — The recovery from the May 20 tornado is taking a step forward as several businesses in the Shoppes on Main center in Gaylord are reopening.

Grocery store Aldi, the Five Guys and Panera Bread restaurants along with the Great Clips hair salon are either open or will open this week. All of the businesses in the shopping center on M-32 West had to close because of damage from the tornado.

Tim Short is the manager for the Five Guys and he said the restaurant managed to reopen on July 1.

"We worked hard to get everything cleaned up and sanitary so people could come in and sit down and enjoy a meal," he said.

Although it is up and running, Five Guys still has plywood up around the exterior of the building.

"Customers have been understanding about the plywood and ask questions as many aren't from around here. They give us extra tips because we are open and trying to provide good service," said Short.

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Short said the restaurant managed to keep most of the employees it had before the tornado.

"There were a few that left. The company paid us through the time we were shut down as everybody got paid for their normal hours," Short said.

Short said he is excited about seeing the other businesses open up again after the storm.

"Everyone is trying to get the windows in and to get up and running like we were before the storm," he added.

Aldi is scheduled to have its grand opening this week.

“We’re thankful to be reopening our Gaylord store after experiencing such a devastating event, and extremely grateful for our employees and partners who helped us throughout the process,” Ryan Fritsch, an Aldi divisional vice president, said in a statement. “The entire community was affected in one way or another, and it’s encouraging to see how quickly we’ve come together to rebuild. We’re looking forward to welcoming local shoppers back to our Gaylord location.

"Employees and business partners began work to reopen the Gaylord location the day following the tornado and have worked tirelessly since then to resume operations as soon as possible," Fritsch continued.  "All major repairs have been completed, including replacing the roof and various equipment, as well as repairing the exterior façade and inside of the store. We look forward to welcoming back our customers to a fully restored store with our full product line."

Paul Gunderson, executive director of the Gaylord Area Chamber of Commerce, said the reopening signifies progress in the recovery from the tornado.

"It is great to see some of the businesses on the west side of town reopening from the tornado damage, even if it’s with limited service. This shows what a great community we live in and we should support all businesses in Gaylord — remember to buy local," he said.

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While these stores are coming back on line that is not the case with all the businesses on M-32 that experienced storm damage. The Hobby Lobby and Jimmy John's located across from the the Shoppes on Main are still closed as is the Little Caesar's Pizza next to Panera Bread.

The Goodwill store is also closed but has moved into a temporary location next to ABC Warehouse on M-32.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Tornado recovery gains momentum as shops reopen in M-32 center in Gaylord