Coffee Spot Cardiff, a family-run café on Barrack Lane in Cardiff, had its front door completely smashed during an early morning break-in shortly after midnight on Tuesday, November 3. Police are working to identify those responsible, and the incident comes almost a year to the day since the business was last targeted in a similar manner.
Owner Damyan Bochev, who co-owns the café with his mum and dad, said police phoned him in the middle of the night to tell him his business had been targeted once again. "I got a call from the police at about 1am and I had to get to the café immediately," he said.
A Second Raid in a Year
The window of the front door was completely shattered. Damyan said: "I think they just went for the till even though there wasn't a lot in there. We've stopped keeping cash on the premises so there was only a small bit of change - maybe about £30 in coins." The business has been running for three years, and this is the second time it has been targeted in the space of a year. Last November, while they were away on holiday, they received an almost identical call from police telling them their door had been completely smashed.
"We were on holiday and I was in bed when I got a call from the police. The police didn't catch them last time and it was pretty much the same situation," he explained. "Last year we had to close for the whole day afterwards but because it happened so early in the morning this time we still managed to clear it up and then open."
Financial and Emotional Impact
While the business has to contend with the financial implications of such incidents, Damyan said they also have an emotional impact. "You've obviously got the financial impact," he said. "We've got to pay for the door which wasn't something I was planning to do or in my budget and on top of that we need to get a new till and they are quite pricey. However, it's also emotional. We are just a small independent café and we love working with the local community. When something like this happens you just think, 'why would you do that, you aren't going to gain anything'."
Damyan thinks it's a wider problem, having seen similar incidents also happen at other independent businesses in Cardiff. Danish bakery Brød in Cardiff Bay was targeted in September with someone smashing through the door of the bakery allegedly "looking for money". El Cabrón Tacos in Pontyclun also had the window of their delivery van smashed over the weekend.
Wider Problem for Small Businesses
El Cabrón Tacos wrote on social media: "As a small local business, every repair like this hits hard - not just the cost of the glass, but the time we're down and the extra stress it puts on a team that's already juggling the impossible. What hits harder is the careless and thoughtless action that feels like a violation of our personal property that took place in a loving community that have supported not just us but many small Indie businesses."
Damyan added: "It's quite unfortunate because it happens to the small businesses - it's hard to afford more comprehensive CCTV systems or different types of security." A spokesperson from South Wales Police said: "Being a victim of burglary at your home, business or place of work is a traumatic experience which impacts financially and emotionally. A burglary at the Coffee Spot was reported during the early hours of November 3. The culprits smashed the front door and stole a quantity of cash. Enquiries are on-going to identify those responsible and we would appeal for anyone with information or footage to contact South Wales Police." Anyone with any information is urged to contact the police using the reference 2600358982.
