DALLAS, Texas — A small coffee shop in Oak Cliff was vandalized for the second time in three months.
Dallas Police say they responded to a report of a burglary at the Peaberry Coffee shop on 2400 block W. Boulevard on Dec. 8 around 6:10 a.m. Elijah Salazar, the owner of the shop, said cameras caught the thief breaking into the shop using a crowbar.
“It's made it a little bit more difficult than a normal weekend should be,” he said.
He opened the shop six years ago because he wanted to create a space in his community that people would use.
Salazar said the thief only got away with $30. In September, the coffee shop faced another break-in, costing them $300 in stolen cash. Salazar said the damage from both incidents cost the shop nearly $2,000 in repairs and new equipment.
“Back-to-back…it really made it difficult,” he said.
Despite these setbacks, what has kept this small business alive is the community it serves. In their moment of need, loyal customers rallied together, raising the $2,000 needed to cover repairs.
He said customers donated the money they needed to fix the repairs. Salazar said this keeps him hopeful. With the community’s unwavering support, he’s confident his coffee shop will continue to thrive.
Salazar said the coffee shop is cashless because of the incidents.