Stompin' Groundz, a locally owned and operated coffee shop in Colorado Springs, was hit with an overnight burglary Friday when someone allegedly smashed the glass door with a rock.
Manager and barista Casey Dumas came in Friday morning to find the glass storefront smashed to pieces and the register gone. A shop employee on scene Friday morning told The Gazette somebody threw a rock through the glass door to break it, taking money but not stealing anything else or causing more damage, aside from the smashed storefront.
Colorado Springs police say they were notified of the burglary at about 7:30 a.m. Friday. Department spokesperson Ira Cronin confirmed with The Gazette the incident is an open and active investigation, but was unable to confirm details regarding how much money was taken from the coffee shop.
Cronin added if anyone has any information about this incident, they can call the department's non-emergency line at 719-444-7000.
According to previous Gazette reporting, Stompin' Groundz is a newer addition to the community, only celebrating its grand opening in early July.
Juelz Morse-Ramirez, 32, who grew up in the southeast part of town, created the coffee shop to be a place where locals can go to hang out, share their culture and ideas and foster a sense of community around the shop.
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The opening even attracted the attention of local officials, with Mayor Yemi Mobolade visiting the shop before it opened July 7.
Ramirez posted on social media Friday night, uploading a photo of the newly painted over plywood that covers the broken door. The word "community" appears to be the centerpiece of the artwork.
"I couldn't bare (sic) the big ugly plywood, plus art is cheaper than therapy," Ramirez wrote.
The owner noted in her post the coffee shop will be closed through Christmas to fix the door and get a new register.
"What they didn't take and could never take is the sense of community that this space has activated," Ramirez wrote. "Thank you to everyone that rallied around me/the shop today. I had so many good hugs, so much help cleaning up and a GoFundMe was created ... you were all so quick to support. I'm full of gratitude."
After discovering the shattered storefront Friday, Dumas set up a GoFundMe to assist the owner. The fundraiser had garnered nearly $4,000 by Friday evening.
The funds raised by the community will be used to replace any stolen or damaged equipment, help cover the costs of damages accrued to the shop and finally to help support the team at Stompin' Groundz financially during this holiday season.
"Not only does she need to replace the door, and her entire register system, but she has a small team of employees whose financial situations will all be impacted by this event," Dumas wrote on GoFundMe. "We don't know how long it will take for business to be able to continue, and Juelz doesn't deserve to have her dream be wrecked by desperate actions."
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