Yesterday, a beloved Bakersfield coffee shop was smashed by thieves which has left the local community utterly disgusted. However, such is the love for the shop, is that residents haven’t just sat around and have begun raising funds to get the shop back on its feet.

The incident saw the Blue Oak coffee shop get broken into. As seen in the image below, this happened when the front window was smashed down, allowing the brazen thieves access to the eatery. According to the owner, this is what happened: “However, our beloved haven was recently shattered when a group of homeless individuals threw a rock through the front window, causing extensive damage estimated to cost between $5,000 and $7,000 to repair.”

Sadly, this isn’t the first time that this particular shop has had its windows smashed and it seems to be a bit of a target. In fact, many similarly placed retail spaces have experienced similar problems of late, with the downtown area being a difficult place to operate from. Such is this an issue, is that some have even speculated that this is the reason why LuluLemon decided to vacate the area and move out.

What makes it worse is that this is a small, local business and it’s stuff like this that brings the community together. Apparently, the owner was nearly in tears when they saw it – which is completely understandable.

However, there is some good news. A GoFundMe has been set up whereby donations can be made to get this place back to where it needs to be. And, while this may not heal the emotional damage – it may still go some way to helping out this local gem return to business.