KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Four Kansas City area businesses spent their weekend cleaning up shards of glass and shuttered windows and doors after a series of break-ins.
“It’s not just isolated to us,” said Christopher Ciesiel, Co-Owner of Sagebrush Cocktail Bar and The Campground.
Businesses affected by weekend disruptions:
- Sagebrush Cocktail Bar
- Seven swans crepe
- La Bodega
- Garden House Cafe
A trend that has become common in the Kansas City area had Ciesel’s movement spotted on his security cameras outside the KCK Rosedale neighborhood cocktail bar. He told KSHB 41 that a group of individuals were seen brandishing a firearm and breaking the glass door of his business. The group stole an empty crate. After the hit to his business, he called the owner of the neighboring business, Garden House Cafe, Jordan Fox. A similar event was happening in his business.
“They took our cash register, all our money. That was it, thankfully,” Fox said. “It’s depressing.”
Will Shaw/KSHB
Fox has called the Rosedale neighborhood home for eight years and worked his corner for four. Operating as the Garden House Cafe for the past two years, he appreciates the patronage of his neighbors and the sense of life his business can bring to the community.
“It’s a very intimate space for yourself, the community and the neighbors,” he said. “Our neighbors walk in almost every morning for a cuppa. We know them by name. It’s kind of the story of corner shops all over the country.”
Will Shaw/KSHB
Fox told KSHB 41 that three individuals brandishing a firearm, seen on his security footage, entered his corner coffee shop, breaking down the front door and stealing a cash register.
“Nobody got hurt in the process. Everything else was in tact. We have vendors in our space that we really care about, all of their products were in tact, so that was really great,” added Fox.
Garden House Cafe
Kansas City experienced a business crash, and as of late October, it shrank. In this round, Ciesiel and his neighbor question the system as break-ins become the norm.
“If they [Police] happens to get someone like this, they’re just going to be back on the street in a day or two,” Ciesiel said. “It’s no longer ‘if,’ it’s ‘when’ or ‘when. happen again.”
Camp site
In late August 2024, a string of car thefts also occurred throughout Kansas City. A suspected carjacking led to the murder of beloved chef Shaun Brady when he was confronted by a group of suspects attempting to steal a vehicle. Brady was shot after taking out the trash and left for dead in the parking lot. The Brady & Fox restaurant, the location of Shaun’s death, will not reopen, the family stated that the restaurant was too closely associated with Brady’s culinary influence in Kansas City.
Jack McCormick/KSHB 41
“It hurts and it kind of makes it hard to go on and stay positive,” Ciesiel added. “If things continue to go the way they are, I don’t see many of these impacted businesses staying open…I just hope it doesn’t get to the point where small business owners have to fend for themselves and their properties. That would be a scary time.”
On Sunday, the Garden House Cafe opened its doors to an influx of customers showing their support. Many wrote messages of support on plywood boards decorating the damaged windows.
Will Shaw/KSHB
“It’s been a lot to process,” Fox explained. “I know a lot of these people by name and that means the world. That means, we have support.”
Support for the owner of the corner cafe keeps him going for now. Fox offers a message to government leaders to ensure small businesses prosper moving forward.
“This is our livelihood, so our heads are down and we’re going to keep going. I’m looking for something to happen in our government to take care of our small businesses. It needs to happen,” Fox said.
KSHB 41 contacted KCPD and KCKPD, asking if the string of recent thefts are related to each other. KCKPD had not responded to KSHB 41’s request at the time this article was published. KSHB 41 asked the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department if this group theft has any connection to the ones in 2024.
A spokesperson for the KKPD told KSHB 41 that if the crimes are related they will be investigated. Any links to neighboring jurisdictions or ongoing patterns would be something detectives would look into.
“There hasn’t been much of a response that I can see,” Fox added. “The answer is, we’re just out here.”
