NORFOLK, Va. — A coffee shop owned by a Norfolk church and a nearby skate shop are dealing with a sad situation just two weeks before Christmas. Someone broke into the two businesses on Tidewater Drive Tuesday night.
Jordan Brown is a pastor at OV Church, which owns Coaster Coffee on Tidewater Drive. He says around $200 dollars and a tablet were stolen from the coffee shop.
"Some folks really call for desperate times that call for desperate measures. They came in our side door and broke the window on the side to come in," Brown said.
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Coaster Coffee's surveillance video shows a burglar going into baristas' tip jars and stealing employees' tips. Another video shows the burglar going through Coaster Coffee’s cash register. The person then looks for other things to steal before taking a tablet and running off.
"Cash and an iPad seems like something lucrative they could re-sell or money to keep," Brown said.
Just a couple of doors down, Michael Merritt, the owner of Siren Skate Shop, says someone broke the store's window to get in.
"I noticed one of the bicycles was stolen and the rear window had been smashed in. It appears that the person broke and climbed through the window, stole the bike and let themselves out through the back door," Merritt said.
This isn't the first time Siren Skate has been robbed: The store was broken into last year.
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"Running a business is a hard struggle, any small business owner can tell you," Merritt said.
Norfolk police are investigating both burglaries. If you have any information that can help police, call 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
