Junction neighbourhood helps shop owners after robbery
Store owner says she's grateful for the help she received after her store was robbed just before Christmas
Polly Xue says she always knew she lived in a tight-knit community, but she never expected the help she and her husband received when their convenience store was robbed just before Christmas.
Xue and her husband Andy own Lucky Convenience, a staple in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. Just after midnight on Dec. 21, two masked men broke in the backdoor and quickly made off with $9,000 worth of cigarettes, Xue said.
"We just thought, we work so hard and then just one minute, one minute they took it," Xue said.
But almost as quickly as it was taken, it was given back.
When neighbours heard what had happened, they rallied to raise money for the Xues through an online campaign that's since collected more than the value of the stolen goods.
"We feel, wow, so many people care so much [about] us," Xue said.
Daniel Whalen, a neighbour and fellow business owner who has a chain of coffee shops in the area, says he learned of the crime the next day when he saw the backdoor being replaced, and told his partner when he got home.
"We were both really concerned, wondering what we could do for them," he said.
They decided to set up a GoFundMe just before Christmas, which quickly raised just over $9,000. As of Monday, 175 donations have been made, totalling just under $9,500.
The response came as no surprise to the couple.
"We know it's a very tight-knit neighbourhood and community, and they are beloved by everyone, so we were pretty sure that the neighbourhood would come through," Whalen said, adding that he'd heard from others who'd had the same idea.
"If we didn't start a GoFundMe, someone else would have, definitely," he said.
Whalen's partner, Trang Nguyen, said while she was saddened by news of the robbery, it hasn't made her question the safety and security of the area.
"In many ways, it makes me feel even better about being surrounded by people who really care for one another," she said. "It goes to show how much the neighborhood really appreciates Polly and Andy and how hard they work."
Xue says she and her husband feel the same way. Along with the online campaign, she says she was warmed even further by the way people came out in person after the incident.
"On December 24th, right, [the store] was so busy, like unusual busy," Xue said.
"They come here, they give me cards and then some people give us cards with money," she said. "People so nice here, so kind here."
With files from Tyler Cheese and Derick Deonarain