Greeneville Outfitters has not gone out of business, although yellow tape is up around the front of the building following a violent thunderstorm early Monday morning that ripped the roof off and deposited it in the parking lot.

Owners Dave and Karen Peterson are working feverishly to repair the roof and other damage to their store, at 6757 Asheville Hwy.

"We will reopen very soon," Dave Peterson said.

Until then, the Petersons said they are accepting orders by telephone and even making deliveries to customers if need be.

Greeneville Outfitters lost about 25 percent of its inventory as a result of water damage from the storm, Dave Peterson said.

Most of the damaged inventory was clothing and camping items, he noted.

Peterson said he received a text message at about 2 a.m. Monday saying that "the roof was laying in the parking lot."

The Petersons arrived a short time later to survey the damage that they said was "surreal."

The storm had blown the mostly-still-intact roof off the building and in the process possibly caused some damage to the side of the structure, he said.

The owners were working this week with insurance adjusters.

Meanwhile, Dave Peterson said, customers can follow Greeneville Outfitters on Facebook, where the business posts numerous updates.

The damage to the business could hardly have come at a worse time, the Petersons said.

They noted that this is the time of year that hunters are gearing up for the fall season, making ready their stands and purchasing supplies and gear.

The wind and electrical storm caused thousands of Greeneville Light & Power System customers to lose electric power.

A total of at least 30 roads in the county had trees or limbs down in the storm's aftermath.

The University of Tennessee Research and Education Center reported that an official 1.80 inches of rain fell.

The telephone number for Greeneville Outfitters is 787-2003.