After Burglar Ransacks Cheesecake Shop, Community Serves Up Sweet Surprise
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities community is coming to the aid of a small business that's kept their bellies full for years.
Someone broke into Muddy Paws Cheesecake in St. Louis Park over the weekend.
"I'm surprised that they would come in here," owner Tami Jo Cabrera said. "We're so little."
On Saturday morning, her chef opened the cheesecake shop to find the place ransacked.
"They came in through the roof and cut a hole through," Cabrera said. "I didn't even know that was possible."
During the fall, the burglar ripped down wires, lighting and everything else along the way.
"They landed on cakestands and glass, so I'm sure that was not a nice landing," Cabrera said.
Before getting away with some cash and checkbooks, the burglar busted two other holes in the walls and ruined displays, pictures and signage.
"Menus and things that don't seem like a lot, but they add up," Cabrera said.
She said the burglar likely did $15,000 to $20,000 worth of damage.
Thankfully, business can continue at Muddy Paws.
"We can still bake and still use our mixer and stuff like that," Cabrera said. "I'm really thankful."
Many of Muddle Paws' social media followers stepped up after the burglary and helped to raise thousands of dollar.
As of Sunday evening, a GoFundMe page has raised more than $10,000 for Muddy Paws.
But perhaps the biggest surprise is what the burglar left behind.
"They didn't take a piece of cheesecake," Cabrera said. "I mean, hello!"