Grocery store faces vandalism two nights in a row

SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- The damage may only be minimal but the owners of the Purple Porch Co-Op say they weren’t the only ones targeted. The General Manager says it's disheartening that someone would do something like this, not once -- but twice!

“I was very surprised because it doesn’t normally happen," said Kristy Robinson, General Manager.

Surveillance video shows the business on Hill Street being vandalized!

Several other shops on the same road were targeted as well, two nights in a row.

“it’s hard because it is money that as a business owner, business manager we budget for things. We budget for things to break and we budget for equipment to fail, computers to go down, but we don’t actually budget for our neighbors to damage things," said Robinson.

The damages amount to approximately $700.

The suspects were caught on camera damaging outdoor furniture.

Robinson says it's upsetting to see small businesses like hers become victim to vandalism.

Now they're stuck not being able to provide nice outdoor experiences for their customers and she's got a proposal for the vandals to right their wrongs.
Sot: kristy robinson, general manager purple porch co-op

“the cameras that we have didn’t actually showcase faces well enough for the police to be able to do anything about it and so the group that came through here and vandalized things like I would love to have some money back for the things that we need to replace, but like also come and pull some weeds here do some volunteering here," said Robinson.

While she doesn't expect the crooks to take her up on the offer to volunteer in exchange for the damage --- she hopes the community can step up.

“I think that we’re all kind of in this together I guess and so, if you see somebody doing something that probably isn’t supposed to be happening like please call somebody or do something about it cause it does make a big difference, especially for a small business," said Robinson.

The location is currently accepting in-store donations to help replace the damaged furniture.