SEATTLE — Highland Espresso, a new coffee shop in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, is recovering after thieves broke in and stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment early Thursday morning.
The coffee shop shares its space with PIM Products on Leary Way. The break-in happened just two months after Highland Espresso opened its doors to the public.
Lauren Ruiz, owner of Highland Espresso, detailed the damage left by the thieves, explaining that they used a crowbar to pry open a window.
“They used a crowbar to pry open the window,” Ruiz said. Ruiz described the emotional and financial strain the theft has caused for her new venture. “It’s a lot. Especially starting out. It’s brand new. It’s really disheartening. I started this with nothing and put everything I had into it,” Ruiz stated.
The thieves stole critical equipment, including a coffee grinder and the shop’s sales machine. “They stole a very, very expensive coffee grinder, our sales machine,” Ruiz said.
They also took the digital video recorder containing all security footage from the shop, which hinders the investigation. “So then, there is no footage of it. We can’t really go find the guy,” Ruiz added.
The estimated cost to replace the stolen items and repair the damage is approximately $10,000. Despite the setback, the community quickly rallied to support Highland Espresso.
Ruiz noted, “They sent so many workers over to get coffees to help us out.” Ruiz emphasized the importance of local businesses staying open despite such challenges.
“And we want them to all be able to come here. We don’t want any of these businesses to shut down. We shouldn’t have to close our doors because of that,” Ruiz said.
A customer of Highland Espresso described the shop as a convenient stop. “It’s a great spot to stop when you are out on the Burke-Gilman even for a drink or just a quick thing on your bike if you need something,” the customer said.
Ruiz expressed a determined outlook following the incident. “Like we turned it around. It started not fun and it sucks, but there is nothing that we can do about it.
Just gotta move forward and hope that we can stop it from happening again,” Ruiz explained.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with costs after this theft. The Seattle Police Department is actively investigating the break-in. Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact SPD as soon as possible.