Community rallies to help shoe store robbed of its merchandise
By Brian Johnson
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — A local store is left with a mess, and no merchandise, after thieves targeted the business. Now, there’s a community effort to get the shop, One Pair, back on its feet.
Video shows One Pair hours after the Kansas City, Missouri, store was ransacked Wednesday. One-hundred-twenty pairs of shoes, clothing and the store’s shirt press were all taken.
“It’s a bad event, but we look forward. You can’t drive in the rearview mirror, so we’re going to keep looking forward. Keep the positive things,” One Pair owner KJ Farmer said.
The thieves left nearly every hook and shelf bare.
“All of these boxes are empty. They used to be filled with the shoes that we had on the shelves,” Farmer said.
Surveillance video captured the crooks who broke in after-hours through a back door.
“We’re just going to say they needed it more than us. But I wished they would have gone about it a different way,” Farmer said.
For the city youth who own and run this shop, it’s been devastating.
“It means a lot to all of us,” One Pair employee Deandre Simpson said.
What’s even more powerful, is the outpouring of support they’re receiving to get the shop back on its feet and in some shoes.
“It’s just opened up my eyes to more of how this community is really helpful and how they want to support when they see good things coming along,” Simpson said.
The shop’s founder is hoping to set an example in how they recover from adversity.
“Growing up all I wanted was a chance. I own several businesses now and it took me too long to learn life. How to learn to save money, how to do the right things and why it shouldn’t be that way,” One Pair founder Jerren Thornhill said.
Thornhill is using the misfortune to teach more to these teens.
“This just allows us to say, ‘Hey, it’s another bump in the road, but the road is still there to keep going,’” Thornhill said.
Customers and complete strangers are rallying in support.
“We’re going to chip in on the $50,000 and then some more after that,” Thornhill said.
More than 200 people have already donated nearly $17,000 online.
The owner says they’ve gotten commitments from banks and other business owners. They plan to come back stronger than ever.
One pair also provides WiFi, after-school work and tutoring for teens. On Black Friday they’ll celebrate their one-year anniversary.
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