Winter Park's popular Austin's Coffee shop burglarized to start new year

Winter Park's popular Austin's Coffee shop burglarized

A thief smashed through the front door of Austin’s Coffee in Winter Park early Wednesday morning, causing significant damage and frustration for the longtime local spot on Fairbanks Avenue.

WINTER PARK, Fla. - A coffee shop in Winter Park was burglarized New Year's Day, according to its owners.

Winter Park police confirmed officers responded around 7:30 a.m. to Austin's Coffee on Fairbanks Avenue.

Shop owners said the thief did more damage in terms of cost than what they ran away with. Owners said the thief ran off with about $120 in beer and ignored the more expensive alcohol and the register full of cash.

Owners shared pictures with FOX 35 News of the front door smashed and a brick laying on the ground inside. The door has been patched up with plywood. The plywood was decorated with a painting.

Morgan Bagwell, a manager at Austin's Coffee and daughter of the owners, said the smash and grab is a rough start to the new year.

"It’s a thunderstorm that doesn’t seem to go away right now," Bagwell said.

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Bagwell called the break-in "weird" and said it was quick.

"[They] walked past everything," Bagwell said. "Got his fix. Left with multiple cases."

Bagwell said it happened in the hours the shop was closed overnight: between 2 and 7 Wednesday morning. The shop’s surveillance cameras didn’t catch the crime. Owners are hoping cameras from the business across the street and nearby traffic cameras have a better view.

Bagwell said a customer was the one who noticed the break-in and texted the owners. Bagwell said she rushed into the shop with her mother.

"Cleaning it up was even more frustrating because that glass gets into every little nook and cranny," Bagwell said.

Austin’s coffee has been a late-night spot for more than 20 years. It's a meet-up spot in Winter Park with a sizeable following.

"This is somewhere that everybody’s here to listen or to show what they’re good at," patron Jiovanna Lopera said.

"Always when I come back to visit home I come here because it’s a special place to me," Xandra Burnett said.

Even before the break-in at Austin's Coffee, it’s future was in doubt. Last month, the city approved a plan to buy the lot on which the shop sits, and Austin's lease expires later this year.

"It’s incredibly frustrating," Bagwell said. "These are not only my family’s livelihoods, but my employees have families and homes and rent to pay. Plywood doesn’t look great as a door right now. It makes us look more closed, actually."

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