I was in my store watching the events unfold with a morbid fascination that quickly turned to horror and then rage. As the morning went by, employees and customers from the other stores in my strip gathered together to watch. We took comfort with each other's company as we quietly watched the replays and listened to the newscasters.

One of my new employees arrived shortly after the attack, he had not heard the news until he arrived at the store. He stood stone-faced at the screens for several minutes, then quickly grabbed a phone and began making calls. After many frantic attempts to get through, he put down the phone and watched as the 1st tower collapsed. His face became paper white and he simply sat on the floor and began crying. He had moved back to Louisville the previous month after living in New York for 3 years. He told us that he had 3 friends who worked in the Towers, and he had trying to see if they were ok. As everyone knows, it was nearly impossible to get through to anyone in that area.

We learned a couple of days later that 2 of his friends perished in the attack.

That day touched us all in some way...no matter where we were.