KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another rash of break-ins across Kansas City left small businesses with shattered glass and unforeseen expenses.
Boarded-up doors have been posted on social media by many shops hoping someone will give police information about the criminals.
Burglars hit the popular coffee shop, Mildred’s, last week at its downtown location at West 9th Street and Baltimore Avenue.
Then on Tuesday, the coffee shop shared its Crossroads location, near West 19th and Wyandotte streets, was hit by burglars.
Other coffee/breakfast spots haven't been spared by the crime wave.
Splitlog Coffee, located in Kansas City, Kansas, near North Tremont Street and Central Avenue, posted on Instagram stories it “joined the club” Wednesday, sharing a photo of smashed glass around a broken front door.
Pilgrim Coffeehouse, which sits near East 25th Street and Troost Avenue, confirmed to KSHB 41 the business hit by burglars overnight. A spokesperson said thieves broke through the glass and stole the shop's safe.
Daniel Fikru, the owner of Blue Nile Cafe, told KSHB 41 his business was broken into about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The burglary left the front door broken.
The criminals opened the cash register, Fikru said, but didn't find any money.
He's been at his current location for more than 20 years.
The owner of the Campground , a popular cocktail bar, had a false sense of security being cocooned in the West Bottoms.
"Unfortunately, it’s not shocking," said Cristin Llewellyn, the bar's owner. "We were kind of holding our breath and like saying, ‘I wonder when this will happen to us."'
Llewellyn said she and her staff love what they do to take care of their customers.
"We were hoping maybe in the West Bottoms that we were, you know, in a little pocket where maybe they wouldn’t come down this way," she said. "But it’s been happening so frequently to so many places we love, and unfortunately, it’s so many small businesses that care so much about their customers and really love what they do."
In addition to the Crossroads, West Bottoms and KCK, businesses in the River Market were also targeted.
An employee at Donutology at the Trolley told KSHB 41 the trolley's ordering window was smashed overnight.
"We’re looking at several thousand dollars worth of damage and the safe, and the contents inside the safe," said the shop's owner, Andrew Cameron.
Cameron said that store did not open Wednesday.
"I would say that I’m pretty disappointed right now with the rate of crime that’s going on in Kansas City, Missouri," he said. "And I call upon the leadership that run our town to do something about this crime spree that’s basically going around and hitting all the small businesses of all people."
Grant Norris, the owner of Enzo, a River Market restaurant, said his business was broken into just before 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Norris said no one was hurt and they were able to get a window fixed that was damaged by the burglars.
"I kind of felt like we were due," Norris said. "You feel a sense of violation and you know, you feel a sense of despair."
Norris said he's hopeful police can stop the criminal preying on small businesses throughout the city.
"I think the most important thing is to get this under control now while it’s just property damage so it doesn’t become something more," he said.
In the past weeks and months, other businesses across the city have been broken into.
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To help take some of the weight off small business owners, KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas plans to propose a Back to Business Fund ordinance that would help “eligible small businesses recover from incidents of burglaries and vandalism resulting in damages such as broken windows, doors, locks, graffiti and other related issues,” per the city.
He will hold a press conference Thursday to discuss the initiative.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
