'I feel just unsafe,' downtown small businesses recovering after two break-ins

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Two locally owned businesses in the heart of downtown Las Vegas are working to pick up the pieces after they say a thief broke in, leaving thousands of dollars worth of damages.

“Now I feel just unsafe because okay it was 4 o'clock a.m. ,he just broke my window and walked in, we care a lot about the place and and someone just walked in and broke in because they just want to take some money,” said Tacotarian manager, Miriam Cedeno.

Cedeno says she’s been working at the downtown Tacotarian location for around three years and describes the restaurant as her home away from home.

Early Thursday morning, Cedeno says her second home was vandalized, leaving her and the staff uneasy after watching surveillance video of a thief breaking in.

“They basically took the register and it was just over $10 dollars in there, it wasn't that much,” Cedeno said.

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After finding out the thief had left upwards of $3,500 in damages, Cedeno says she felt more sad than upset knowing the thief had targeted a business she's spent so much of her time at.

She says it will be awhile before they'll be able to recover.

“It's hard because I am a hardworking person so I don't understand how someone wants to get the easy way out," Cedeno said. "The easy way is easy but they don't think about us. It’s really hard on us to support our restaurant which is years of work and for someone to just come in and break in I just want to call attention and say stop,”

Down the street from Tacotarian, a second business, Dig It! Coffee Co. also experienced a break in that same day.

Taylor Chaney, who owns the cashless business says she believes that same thief targeted her business just an hour after Tacotarian was damaged.

“We had a barista who showed up to open up the shop and she kind of walked into broken glass and went back to her car and she was kind of shaken up,” Chaney said.

While a lot of the items at her shop had been shuffled around, Chaney says she's grateful the burglar didn't take off with anything, but she says he left about $2,000 worth of damages.

Now, Chaney says she's left feeling vulnerable knowing what she and other nearby small business owners have suffered.

“As a small business owner, you work really hard to have a shop here for the people for the community of course we have a mission here with our team, but I think that is the hardest part right is that you are working really hard to be a place where people feel welcomed and come to and then to see that violated a little bit is just really challenging,” Chaney said.

Both businesses say they will be increasing security measures to prevent future incidents from occurring.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police also responded to the scene, but say the investigation remains ongoing and no arrests have been made.