A newly-opened collectible card shop in Lompoc has been recovering this week after burglars broke into their store, damaging property and getting away with hundreds of dollars in stolen merchandise.
Surveillance photos from inside Central Coast Collectibles show three hooded men breaking into the store early Thursday morning.
Owner Tyler Santos says he returned to his shop to find more than $3,000 worth of damage.
“Walking in was kind of a shock,” Santos told KSBY. “These four cases here were all smashed, the fronts and the tops. There was glass everywhere. It is tempered glass, so it shot all over the walls.”
Following the robbery, Santos posted on social media about what happened and soon after, the team at Elevate Lompoc reached out.
“When we heard that they had just gotten broken into, and we just updated our cabinets, it seemed like a great opportunity to help someone out in need,” said Tory Dapello, a purchasing manager at the dispensary.
Dapello says Elevate Lompoc helped replace the broken display cases at Central Coast Collectibles. Santos said that without the donation, his store may not have been able to reopen.
“These three plus the one in that corner are the ones that Elevate gave to us. It is huge because that is how we operate and display our cards. Without display cases we can’t sell single cards and that is where a lot of our revenue comes from,” Santos explained.
He says in the past week, many locals have also reached out offering to help clean up the mess and shop at the store to make up for what was lost.
Santos adds that this weekend, Central Coast Collectibles will celebrate its first year being open in Lompoc.
“We do a lot of free of events, stuff to take care of other people,” he said. “We provide people with a safe place to come play, hang out, meet new friends, and in return, they treat us very well.”
Meanwhile, Tory Dapello says his team at Elevate didn’t think twice about lending a hand.
“When this shop was in need and we had a way we could help, it was a no brainer for us,” Dapello said. “It is not easy running a business and if there is a way to help one of our fellow locals, we are going to do it.”
Lompoc police say they are still looking to identify the three suspects who were caught on Santos’ surveillance video, adding that their investigation is ongoing.
Central Coast Collectibles has recurring weekly game nights and tournaments at their store, as well as an anniversary celebration that will be taking place this weekend.
