Hours before dawn Sunday, surveillance video showed three bandits breaking into a boba shop in San Bernardino, breaking a glass door and stealing an iPad, T-shirts and 20 cookies.
The owner of a neighboring gun store, who inspects all businesses in the commercial area daily, discovered the damage. Alerted to the theft, Viva La Boba co-founder Tansu Philip arrived at the store and found cookies and products scattered on the floor.
Reviewing the camera footage, Philip said he observed the three robbers running like crazy to grab whatever they could. Thieves stole peanut butter, chocolate chip espresso and chocolate pecan cookies, leaving behind white chocolate, macadamia nuts and chocolate chips.
There is no writing about tastes.
However, much of the estimated $2,000 in damages is not related to cookies. The main losses for the owners were the smashed door and a newly acquired iPad.
The theft left Philip more bewildered than concerned about the stolen items.
“It didn't make sense what they took,” Philip said. “They took all of our t-shirts and cookies, but they left thousands of dollars worth of high-quality fancy equipment that they could have easily made off with.”
Philip said she and her staff work tirelessly to create a safe, community-oriented space, so having her business targeted makes theft that much more painful.
“It's especially sad when it's a family-owned store like ours because we work a lot in the store,” Philip said. “We are solely responsible for the well-being of the store and our staff.”
Philip's boyfriend, David Friedman, co-founded Viva La Boba and co-owns a real estate group with his father that rents storefronts in downtown San Bernardino. His agency aims to bring small businesses owned by artists, people of color, and underrepresented communities to downtown.
“We have a lot riding on the future of San Bernardino,” Friedman said. “We're building this community and we have a say in what kind of businesses come downtown.”
The recent robbery is the second time thieves have hit the boba shop. The first occurred in 2019, forcing the store to switch to a cashless business, a practice revealed on signs in front of the building.
Although theft and vandalism still occur in downtown San Bernardino, Philip said, he has noticed a significant reduction since his business established its presence in the area.
San Bernardino Police Department Statistics show a notable drop in robberies and property crimes in the city over the past five years.
With a small team of four baristas, Philip highlighted the team's high morale due to the supportive response from the surrounding community. He mentioned that the store received numerous donations and had a record number of customers on the day of the robbery.
“I was worried that people would be scared or upset, but I'm relieved that everyone was safe,” she said. “For us, the best case scenario was that everyone jumped into action without hesitation. And that really helped.”
Even though the store was closed on Mondays, supporters came en masse that day to show their support, which Philip had to reject.
Many people have suggested that the store increase security measures to prevent another robbery, but Philip said doing so would go against his store's mission of making downtown San Bernardino vibrant and accessible.
“We don't want to ruin the aesthetics just in the name of safety and show people that we are afraid,” he said.
