Othello juice bar burglarized two weeks before opening
Heavenly Fresh, a yet-to-open juice bar at 126 East Hemlock Street, was burglarized just two weeks before the business’s official opening. Perpetrators stole more than $5000 dollars of equipment.
GABRIEL DAVIS/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
The owners of Heavenly Fresh, Salvador De Jesus Solano and Emily Cordero, intended to open their business at the end of June but now must wait until repairs can be made to the building and they can earn back some of the financial loss they suffered from the burglary.
The unknown perpetrators of the robbery threw a rock through Heavenly Fresh’s front entrance sometime on the morning of June 14. The glass door featured a custom design that will have to be redone once the door itself is repaired.
Chairs and tables opposite the bar were intended to be a seating and gaming area, complete with TVs and game consoles for patrons to make use of.
OTHELLO – Heavenly Fresh, a juice bar located at 126 East Hemlock Street in Othello, was burgled of more than $5,000 of gaming and computer equipment the morning of June 14, just two weeks shy of its official opening.
“We’ve lived here our whole life and we’ve never had something like this happen before,” said Emily Cordero, who started Heavenly Fresh with her husband Salvador De Jesus Solano. “I’m 21, it’s my first business, so it was a very big shock.”
The perpetrators broke into the building by throwing a rock through the glass front door of the business. They then proceeded to steal two TVs, an Xbox game console, a Nintendo game console, Cordero’s personal iMac, a gaming laptop, and Corderos’ daughter’s iPad.
“It took us almost three years to save up to buy all of that equipment,” said Cordero. “We didn’t have insurance because we had barely moved in here, like a couple of weeks ago, and we didn’t think of getting insured until once the business officially opened.”
According to Cordero, she and her husband had intended to open Friday, but have had to push the date to July 7, or possibly even longer, depending on when they can repair the damage done to the front entrance. It also depends on when they can get a final inspection from the Health Department.
“We’re just trying to get back up,” said Cordero. “We can’t just cry and be upset…that’s not gonna help anybody.”
Cordero described her vision for the store, which includes health juices from local produce combined with a space for patrons to spend time and play video games. To help achieve this and recoup some of the losses, Cordero started a GoFundMe page to raise money and is selling and delivering juices and shakes from her home.
Cordero is waiting for any update from the Othello Police Department regarding the theft, including any information that might come from a fiber that was possibly left by the perpetrators. Cordero even kept the rock used to break through the door.
“We’ve already submitted everything that we can submit,” said Cordero on the investigation, including her own attempts to find where her stolen items might be sold online. “I’m trying to do everything in my power.”
“I want these people to be caught, not just for my stuff,” said Cordero. “I don’t want this to happen to anybody else.”
Moving forward, Cordero stated she was trying to find an affordable alarm system, but that it was difficult in light of the stolen items and the consequences the situation will have on the opening of their business.
“My goal is to create a healthy, safe community, you know, with the dream of a game area,” said Cordero. “Hopefully one day we’ll be able to do it.”
Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com.
Want to help?
To support Heavenly Fresh’s GoFundMe, visit gofund.me/2bf1bc25.
Heavenly Fresh
126 E. Hemlock Street
Othello, WA 99344
Opening pending
