Bend coffee stand break-ins steam owners

When Shane Brown, the owner of the Coffee and Snack Factory at Southeast Ninth and Wilson in Bend, came to work around 4 a.m. Friday, he quickly realized someone had broken into his shop, leaving a big mess behind.

“It definitely makes me feel very vulnerable, very destroyed,” he said later in the day.

Police said two men broke a window and ransacked Brown’s shop around midnight, looking for money. A video security camera caught their actions.

“I’ve put my entire life into it,” Brown said of the business. “Sold my house, my cars to do this. And to have someone break in is very disheartening.”

But when they didn’t find any cash, the pair left. When Brown got to work, he quickly called police..

“By looking for cash, they ended up breaking bottles and a couple hundred dollars’ worth of product,” he said.

But break-ins at these small coffee huts in the area are not uncommon.

“We’re definitely a targeted business, just because we are small, there is a bunch of cash flow, there is a lot of business people coming in and out, so there’s a lot of money,” Brown said.

Just down the road, it’s a similar story at the Espresso Shop.

“The last time, they didn’t get money or anything,” said Elaine Church. “But they trashed and broke all of the bottles and dumped all of the drawers and just created a big mess.”

Even with the minor setback, Brown is ready to move on – and to get a better security system for his stand.

“Hopefully, to give my customers the same amount of service and keep pushing forward,” he said of his plans. “So it’s more of a frustration, and I’ve got to pull it together to move ahead, rather than they push me back.”