TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — A cherished coffee shop is striving to come back better than ever after suffering tens of thousands of dollars in damage from a pickup truck that crashed through its side wall on Oct. 27.
"He took out the whole wall. There was two layers of brick wall here. Took out the door (too)," Lift Coffee Bar owner Jerrod Railey said on Nov. 7, describing surveillance footage capturing the still-unnamed suspect backing into the wall in a black pickup truck before exiting the parking lot.
Tahlequah Police Department took an incident report but referred 2 News to Cherokee Nation's Office of the Attorney General for information from an investigation. The Cherokee Nation responded to a request from 2 News:
The Cherokee Nation was sent information on this case this week. The Cherokee Nation Attorney General's Office is working with the Tahlequah Police Department to evaluate and file potential criminal charges."
Railey said the incident happened just before the local hangout spot was to celebrate its five-year anniversary.
"Just a really good sense of community here," Railey added. "We try to remember people's names, their drinks, and try to make them feel really welcome."
Railey said expenses add up to $20,000 in damage, not including another $20,000 in lost revenue and $10 grand in lost worker wages.
"The first thought was, 'How are we going to pay our bills? When are we going to get back to work? How long does it take to fix?'" employee Natalia Ashley told 2 News.
Many small businesses on Muskogee Avenue, including Lift, are run out of buildings owned by Northeastern State University. NSU has helped with some initial wall and electrical repairs, but the rest is on Railey and his staff — including trying to pay them.
"It reminds me more of Cheers than the typical coffee shop," regular customer John Yeutter said.
"Lift has become such a staple in our community," NSU Playhouse Theatre instructor Robyn Pursely said. "I knew that a lot of people would step in to help if needed."
Help has indeed come. Loyal customers like Yeutter and Pursely are two of many who contributed to a GoFundMe to keep the coffee bar brewing while employees and hired contractors work on repairs. As of Nov. 10, donations have surpassed $5,400.
"I think it's definitely worth it," Lift employee and NSU Softball player Korynn Tindel said. "I've been painting. Natalia pulled up the floors in the kitchen. It's definitely worth it. It goes back to the environment that we have, like enjoying being around the people that you work with."
Railey said if flooring repairs finish on schedule, the shop's doors could reopen to customers by Monday, Nov. 11.
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