MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — Mila Cafe in Waco sustained $7,000 in total losses during the recent winter storm when a vehicle crashed into its outdoor seating area while roads were icy, destroying $3,000 worth of investment.
- Vehicle crash damage: A vehicle crashed into Mila Cafe's outdoor seating area during icy conditions, destroying $3,000 worth of handmade benches and railing
- Total storm losses of $7,000: Combined damages from the vehicle crash, 2-day forced closure, and cancelled farmers market resulted in significant financial impact
- Community support needed: During January, already a slow month for businesses, Olvera asks for community support, even simple social media engagement to help recovery efforts
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Waco coffee shop is dealing with thousands of dollars in damages after a vehicle crashed into their outdoor seating area during the recent winter storm, adding to mounting losses from forced closures.
Mila Cafe owner Kayla Olvera received news Monday afternoon when a neighboring business owner sent photos showing the destruction of the railing on her outdoor seating area.
"They saw it, sent us photos, and they were like, oh no, I'm so sorry, it looks like somebody took out your railing," Olvera said.
While the cause of the damage hasn't been confirmed, Olvera knows it happened while roads were icy during the freeze. She expressed concern for whoever was involved in the incident.
"We hope that they're OK, you know, it did look like a pretty, pretty big hit, but we do know that the roads were, you know, they weren't safe," Olvera said.
The handmade benches and new railing represented a $3,000 investment for the small business.
"Financially, it did, you know, it did affect us with what is already a slow month for all the small businesses locally," Olvera said.
The outdoor seating damage wasn't the only financial hit the business sustained. The freeze forced Mila to close for 2 days, and combined with the railing damage, their brick-and-mortar location shut down, and a cancelled farmers market, their total losses reached $7,000 from the storm.
"We quit our full-time jobs to go full-time in our business and so this does affect not just me but it affects my family, it affects any employees that we have," Olvera said.
As businesses typically struggle during January, she's reminding neighbors that even small gestures of support make a significant difference.
"Just support from anybody and everybody, but even if you don't have time to go out or have time to shop or drink or eat, just a simple like on social media could go a long way," Olvera said.
Waco Police Department has not yet responded to requests for information about any calls to the area Sunday night or Monday.
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