"Right now, we simply don’t have the resources to repair the window."
That's what Kanadell owner Keiko Nakanishi said on a GoFundMe page she created Tuesday, March 18, after the East Vancouver Japanese bakery's window was recently smashed.
No one was hurt from the incident, which the 3596 E Hastings St. business believes was meant to "cause damage" as nothing was stolen.
A neighbouring store also had its window "broken in the same way," Nakanishi added in the GoFundMe description.
The crowdfunding campaign has garnered around $5,000 as of yet.
'It was a complete shock'
But the fundraiser is also the result of a tough economy, Kanadell said.
Nakanishi explained how the store has been struggling, recording a 22-per-cent yearly drop in sales this past winter.
"Even under these circumstances, we’ve been doing everything we can—cutting costs wherever possible—just to keep the business going.
"Then, out of nowhere, this happened. It was a complete shock," she said, calling the incident a "senseless act of violence."
Kanadell started in a commissary kitchen near the end of 2017 before finding its own brick-and-mortar space in the Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood in December 2020. The business also participates in farmers markets across Vancouver on weekends.
The menu boasts breads, tarts, cakes and other pastries inspired by authentic Japanese baking.
Economic challenges of late have led to rising expenses, Nakanishi explained.
However, she noted Kanadell isn't giving up and is relying on the community to help fix the shop staff have "worked so hard to protect."
"This bakery has been cherished by so many people in our community, and we are determined to keep it going, no matter what," Nakanishi said.
"Any support, no matter how small, would mean the world to us. It would help us get back on our feet and move forward."
V.I.A. has reached out to Kanadell for more comment and will update this story when available.
