Chez Angela hit in ‘opportunistic’ break-in

The co-owner of a downtown Brandon bakery and café is keeping his spirits high after four people wearing masks broke into the business and stole money and products early Friday morning.

“This is the kind of opportunity where people say things like … you might as well move out of downtown, and that is the wrong message,” James Chambers, co-owner and general manager of Chez Angela Bakery and Café, said. “This is a great part of our city, and I don’t want people to lose sight of that.”

Chambers said he found out about the incident after receiving a notification on his phone and several calls from police. He said the people broke in just before 1 a.m., and while he didn’t immediately wake up from the first notification, he was there within 20 minutes.

In a post on Chez Angela’s Facebook account, Chambers said their security cameras did a good job capturing the individuals, despite it being “nearly pitch black” inside.

“They ripped our till from out of the counter, stole some alcohol, a cake and a jug of milk,” the post read.

Chambers said the group was in and out in 65 seconds.

He called the incident “opportunistic.”

On Nov. 1, someone threw a sign at the front window, shattering it, Chambers said. The broken glass had been covered with plywood, which is how the group entered the store Friday morning, he said.

“They had an opportunity because there was a broken window, and they were able to make quick work of it.”

Even though the incidents happened just weeks apart, he said he doesn’t feel that Chez Angela was targeted, and they don’t feel threatened.

“It’s not a pattern. It’s just two really unfortunate events, really close together.”

Chambers didn’t deny that it has taken a toll on the business. He said people don’t realize that while they do have commercial insurance, it’s expensive and their premium rates would increase with each incident they report.

Because there were two separate incidents, he said it’s a “major inconvenience” and not worth filing the claim. He said the incidents will cost them thousands of dollars.

On top of the money, he said it also has had an impact on him, his wife Angie, who co-owns the business, and their staff. He said there were roughly six hours of cleaning Friday morning.

“The reality is that this is going to be 12 or 15 hours of our time dealing with all the aftermath of getting all this done, on top of the window replacement, on top of the products that we’ve lost, on top of the money that they stole,” he said.

He’s hopeful police will find the individuals and hold them accountable, but the incident won’t change anything going forward.

“This is where we grew up, and this is where we dated, and this is what we call home,” Chambers said, referring to his and Angie’s relationship. “This is our community.”

In the over seven years running Chez Angela, he said nothing like this has happened before.

“We’ve had over 70,000 shifts and hundreds of thousands of hours, and this stuff doesn’t happen. It’s a statistical anomaly … This is a safe place filled with compassionate, empathetic people, where lots of good happens.”

Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said in an emailed statement to the Sun that BPS is investigating the break-in, and while it is troubling, he echoed Chambers’ comments and said incidents like this one remain isolated.

“We commend the owners and staff of Chez Angela for their resilience and their continued commitment to the community. Thankfully, no staff were present during the offence, and no injuries were reported,” he said.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com