KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers portions of eastern Jackson County, including areas like Blue Springs and Independence. If you have a story idea to share, send her an email.
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Various businesses in Kansas City were burglary victims at the start of the week. One of those is Anchor Island Coffee, an LGBTQ-owned shop in Kansas City’s Midtown neighborhood.
The owners shared videos with KSHB 41 News showing the break-in on Sunday. Multiple people assisted in breaking the glass on the walk-up window and front door while also breaking in through the back door. Owner Armando Vasquez said they stole around $1,000 in kitchen equipment. The biggest expense will be replacing the broken doors, which he said is around $5,000.
“You only stole $1,000 worth of stuff…. It's very frustrating and it's kind of like why, why would you do that,” said Vasquez.
This isn’t Anchor Island Coffee’s first issue in Midtown. They opened in 2020. In 2021, Vasquez said they experienced their first break-in. In 2022, a car crashed into their storefront. Now, this has them feeling disheartened.
" We want to stay, we want to stay here you know because this is our home, we made it our home but with all this happening, they're taking all our savings,” said Vasquez.
Vasquez said customers have been nothing but supportive and they’ve seen an increase in business of people coming to buy a coffee to help pay the expenses. He hopes there is a way businesses can come together to address the crime issues they face.
Kansas City Police Department did not have an immediate update to provide on the burglary investigation.
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