A fundraiser has been started to help the owners of a downtown Maple Ridge business that was struck by vandals late last week.
Once Upon a Tea Leaf , located along 224 Street, was targeted in the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 21.
On video one man can be seen shattering the front windows of the store and then lobbing in some sort of smoke bomb which emitted an orange colour that coated the entire store, including all of the inventory.
The store is owned by Taryn Stephenson Thoews and her mother Cindy-Lea Stephenson, and has been a fixture in Maple Ridge for the past 16 years B次元官网网址 11 years at the current location.
B次元官网网址淥ur world came crashing down when a young man shattered our windows and hurled two Marine Pyrotechnic devices into our cherished store,B次元官网网址 read the GoFundMe started by Marin Odberg.
B次元官网网址淚t was sheer luck that the entire block did not succumb to the flames, as these smoke signals were actually explosives that burned through our storeB次元官网网址檚 floor,B次元官网网址 said Odberg online.
Thoews, said she received a call from the alarm company at around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
When security arrived on scene they discovered the front display window was smashed, in addition to another window by the front door. Security also saw smoke coming from inside the building and were worried the business was on fire.
Maple Ridge Fire and Rescue were called along with the Ridge Meadows RCMP.
Theirs was the only store hit by the vandals, making Thoews believe this was a targeted attack.
B次元官网网址淚t does not appear that there was any intent to steal anything. It was meant to scare us, meant to cause a lot of damage,B次元官网网址 said the downtown business owner later that day.
B次元官网网址淎nd they were successful, both of those things happened.B次元官网网址
This is the second time in a year the store has been targeted, in June, noted Odberg, a man again smashed the glass door of the store, and unleashed a can of bear spray inside.
B次元官网网址淔or this to happen again in a very similar fashion, thatB次元官网网址檚 the part that, to me, feels scary. It feels targeted, it feels intentional,B次元官网网址 she said, noting that her mother is both sad and scared, and was too emotional to talk to The B次元官网网址.
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Thoews doesnB次元官网网址檛 know when they will be able to open again, which is devastating, said Thoews, since they are entering their busy season, when the weather is starting to get colder and people are starting to buy cosy scarves and drink warm cups of tea.
B次元官网网址淲e work every day to try and be good members of this community. We give back, we support everybody and to have this happen, not once but twice, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to not take that personally,B次元官网网址 she said.
Cpl. Julie Klaussner with the Ridge Meadows RCMP confirmed that on Thursday, Sept. 21 at around 3:30 a.m., police responded to a report of vandalism to a business in the 11900 block of 224 Street. When they arrived they discovered that the front window to the building had been smashed.
B次元官网网址淭his is currently an ongoing investigation and there are no further details available at this time,B次元官网网址 said Klaussner.
Thoews did add that she doesnB次元官网网址檛 think downtown Maple Ridge is a bad place.
B次元官网网址淓veryday out of the year except for, letB次元官网网址檚 say two or three, we feel safe and supported by this community. And the last thing that I want is for people to feel unsafe coming to our downtown core. It is just a one-off and itB次元官网网址檚 targeted and I hope that it doesnB次元官网网址檛 deter people from supporting ours and other businesses in this downtown core because it is not a scary place to be,B次元官网网址 she said.
Odberg estimates the cost of the ruined inventory in the store between $100,000 to $200,000, in addition to irreplaceable items, like those of a local artisan who passed away in 2020. She added the insurance process can be lengthy and that the owners are now at risk of losing everything.
As of Wednesday morning, Sept. 27, 217 donations had been made, raising $19,115 of a $50,000 goal.
B次元官网网址淥nce Upon a Tea Leaf is more than just a business; itB次元官网网址檚 a labour of love, a testament to family values, and a symbol of community support. For years, weB次元官网网址檝e given back to our Maple Ridge family, cherishing the relationships weB次元官网网址檝e built, and now, we turn to you, our extended family, for help,B次元官网网址 said Odberg online.
To donate go to .