VANCOUVER -- A beloved Nanaimo barber shop has reopened thanks to the support of the community after the local business suffered a devastating break-in earlier this week.
That 50's Barber Shop, located on Victoria Crescent, was broken into sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to the Nanaimo RCMP. In total, thieves made off with the shop's cash box, "extremely expensive" sets of clippers and a number of collectible action figures from off of the walls.
In a news release issued by the Nanaimo RCMP, Mounties described the barber shop as a "fixture in the downtown core," and that the owner, Dave Lawrence, was "devastated" by the theft.
"Lawrence is very community minded and each year spearheads charity drives to support the youth in Nanaimo," said Cst. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP on Wednesday.
Now, just two days after news of the break-in spread throughout the island, the Nanaimo community has helped raise thousands of dollars to help reopen the local barber shop.
Since Wednesday, a GoFundMe campaign launched to help the business recover exceeded its original goal of $2,000 to a total of $8,000 Friday afternoon.
The donations will go towards replacing the stolen barber tools, the installation of a new security system and to help cover finances for the time off that was required after the break-in.
Lawrence told CTV News that he is grateful for the outpouring of support.
"Everyone's support is just so amazing," he said.
"When it first happened it was shocking and terrible and I was thinking about, honestly, 'how am I going to make money today because I don't have my tools, I don't have my clippers?'" he said. "It was shocking and heartbreaking because we're a one-income family and if I don't make money, I can't pay my bills."
Fortunately, Lawrence says that support from the neighbourhood arrived right away.
"Even right away, I was waiting for the police to arrive and I was making a Facebook post saying that I don't know what I'm going to do," he said. "Just 20 minutes later my graphic designer that I work with came down with $200."
"He said, 'don't pay me back.' And after that more and more people started coming down."
After word spread of the break-in, a company that makes barbers' tools also contacted Lawrence and offered to send him replacement supplies.
"I walked into the store yesterday and the phone rang and it was WAHL Canada," said Lawrence. "They saw a news story on TV and felt really bad about it so they're going to send me a few boxes."
Just two days after the break-in, Lawrence says That 50's Barber Shop is open again for business with a brand new security system and insurance – something he says he was unable to afford before – all thanks to the support of community members.
"Thank you so much, it’s just amazing," says Lawrence.
