14 hours ago
Upper Arlington police believe the most recent break-in occurred between 10 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday at The Daily Growler.
UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio — Authorities are investigating a series of break-ins at a strip mall on Fishinger Road after at least two businesses were burglarized over the past week.
Police suspect the latest incident took place between 10 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday at The Daily Growler. Detectives are reviewing security camera footage to determine if any items were stolen.
One of the targeted businesses is Colin's Coffee, which operates as a dual-concept venue inside The Daily Growler — serving coffee in the morning and craft beer in the evening. Owner Colin Gawel described the setup simply: "It's coffee in the morning, beer at night, and it works out really great."
Gawel and John Blakely, owner of the Daily Growler space, discovered the vandalism Monday morning. Despite the break-in, Gawel does not believe anything was taken, crediting their policy of not keeping cash on the premises overnight.
"We don't leave any money in here at night and, you know, in the modern world, there's not that much cash flowing around anyway," Gawel said.
He also expressed sympathy for the perpetrator, saying, "You don't want that to happen ever. At the same time, I do feel bad someone's in such a desperate state that they have to break through a door to come in and get nothing."
The Daily Growler and Colin's Coffee were not the only businesses targeted. Gawel noted that a neighboring establishment, UA Pizza, experienced a similar break-in the previous week. "UA Pizza right around the corner — their door got smashed and grabbed last week," he said.
These incidents come amid an already challenging financial environment for small business owners. Gawel highlighted rising healthcare costs and increasing prices of essential goods as additional pressures.
"Things like tariffs and coffee prices — you know, when you're a small business, all of that stuff really matters," he said. "It's tough enough these days to be a small businessman, so you don't need any extra expenses and hassles, that's for sure."
Despite these challenges, Gawel remains optimistic about the support from the local community. "We have a great community, great staff, great people down here. So we feel very supported and very lucky. So at the end of the day, not the end of the world," he said.
Blakely added that replacing the vandalized door was costly. He encouraged those wishing to support the businesses to continue patronizing Colin's Coffee and The Daily Growler.
