SPOKANE — A downtown Spokane restaurant was burglarized last Friday evening, marking the second break-in at the business since it opened nearly a year ago.
Surveillance video shows a man kicking the door of Sporks Biscuit Bar around 6 p.m. Friday until he broke the lock. The intruder then crawled under the garage door and stole money from the cash register and items from the refrigerators.
Owner Doyle Wheeler said the break-in was frustrating but not surprising for his Skywalk location.
“One person tried stealing our TV, and then we had someone maliciously scoping out our space and found an extension cord that was behind one of our fridges and extract that from our property, and it killed our fridges and freezers. So that was tragic,” Wheeler said.
The latest burglary comes as crime statistics show improvement across Spokane. Person and property crimes have dropped 22 percent since 2019, while burglary cases have decreased 34 percent during the same period.
Despite the repeated break-ins, Wheeler remains committed to his vision of revitalizing the Skywalk area. He views the challenges as part of the cost of doing business in an area that needs investment and attention.
“This is not a good thing that happened period, and no business owner wants this to happen. But when the Skywalk is dead nothing is going to happen. So it’s part of the price of being in the Skywalk and trying to breathe life into the Skywalk,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler envisions returning the Skywalk to its former status as a bustling area filled with businesses. He said the break-in provides another opportunity to advocate for improvements to the area.
“It doesn’t happen unless people try,” Wheeler said.
Sporks Biscuit Bar has reopened following the break-in. Wheeler plans to expand his presence in the Skywalk by opening a coffee shop that will operate alongside the restaurant later this year.
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