FORT SMITH, Ark. — A small Fort Smith business is thanking the community for the immense support they have received after thieves targeted their business a second time.
On Saturday, Jan. 6, Vinnie's Pies discovered their food truck's electrical cord was stolen a second time, impacting their business. The cord was stolen overnight from outside the former Civil Axe building located at 1121 Garrison Ave. The first theft happened last year, but this time, it hit them a bit harder.
"Spending $500 on a new cord right now right after Christmas before we’re opening the restaurant is quite a setback," said Vinnie's Pies in a Facebook post.
When the small business posted about the theft, Co-Founder Ursula Hansen, said they received an overwhelming response from their customers trying to help. Hansen says a known customer offered to fully pay for a new cord.
"We couldn't accept," said Hansen.
Hansen said another known customer drove two hours away to get a cord from their old RV to help them out, but unfortunately, it wasn't the right one. Vinnie's Pies has been offered help from multiple other customers and even electricians.
Hansen said their business got lucky because their oven runs on gas so they were able to find a temporary solution to continue running this weekend. If they hadn't gotten to the scene on time, however, Hansen said they could have lost a lot of money especially if they had been booked for an event. Hansen explains their equipment such as prepping machines, refrigerators, and blenders depends on that electrical cord to keep the food running.
As of now, they are borrowing a cord and still trying to figure it all out. They plan on resuming their regular business hours on Wednesday until they get a new cord.
Despite this downfall, Vinnie's Pies has something big to look forward to. Hansen said they are part of a partnership that will be opening a restaurant in Downtown Fort Smith early next month. This partnership is a collaboration with Taliano's Italian Restaurant and Bike Rack Brewing Company.
Hansen said they don't want to focus on the negative. Instead, they want to focus on this new chapter and are grateful to the community that supports them.
"We just want to create awareness and also make sure to reiterate we are appreciative of the community that supported us and came forward with the help in those times because that's what keeps us going," said Hansen. "We started making pizzas in Vinnie's backyard for just friends and family and within a year started selling them. We never imagined it would happen so quickly."
Anyone with information on this crime is asked to contact Vinnie's Pies at 609-312-8312 or via Facebook.
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