Downtown skate shop nearing fundraising goal after break-in

A week after merchandise was stolen following a break-in, a local skate shop is closing in on its fundraising goal.

A social media post from Devil’s Island Skateboard Co. asked for any information from residents about the break-in that shattered the front door and resulted in stolen clothing in the early morning hours of Feb. 6.

“I was like dead asleep at like 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., something like that,” owner Dylan Hay said. “The officers that responded, they called me, and I did not think it was real.”

The suspect threw a brick through the glass door of the shop at 725 Francis St. and stole clothing from a rack near the entrance to the store.

“They just took everything off of that, and that’s it,” he said.

People who lived nearby may have deterred any further damage after hearing the disturbance and alerting the police.

“From what I’ve gathered, they were yelling at them and stuff, telling them to stop, and then some other people intervened,” Hay said. “So I think it would have been a lot worse if people weren’t around to help out.”

Hay created a GoFundMe that people can donate to at the suggestion of a friend, and many people he knows in the local skating community have given to the cause. The skate shop has collected more than 80% of its $1,300 goal.

“We raised a lot more than I ever anticipated, so we’re up,” Hay said.

Anyone looking to help with the fundraising effort can visit the GoFundMe at www.gofundme.com/f/downtown-skateshop-tweaker-relief-fund.