THE OWNER OF a coffee shop in Dublin city centre has described the “futility” of running a business in the capital following a burglary by six people over the weekend.

The group of men fled the scene with thousands of euro worth of equipment after breaking into coffee shop It’s a Trap on Aungier Street shortly after 7am yesterday.

A card machine was burgled, along with a camera, till equipment and money from the small business.

A number of power tools being used for renovation work were also taken.

Gardaí arrived at the scene by 7:30am, and confirmed that a sum of cash was taken in the course of burglary.

In a statement, a garda spokesperson said that investigations are ongoing.

Frayank Nunez, owner of the micro-bakery and coffee shop, told The Journal that it was their second burglary in just 11 months.

“My wife had checked the camera on Sunday, as she usually does before we get to work, and saw it happening plain as day,” shop owner Frayank Nunez told The Journal.

“We could see people in the shop, and another few outside keeping watch,” he explained.

Security footage showed several people hopping a large fence around the entrance to It’s a Trap, who proceeded to break the glass of the front door to gain entry.

Nunez said that he had rushed to work, while his wife contacted the gardaí. By the time he reached the coffee shop, gardaí were on the scene, but the thieves had fled.

“The thieves were all gone. Gardaí double-checked that there was no one inside, but all the stuff was gone,” Nunez said.

He added that several sentimental decorative pieces, including shop review articles which had been on display on the wall, and tip money for staff worth an estimated €300 were also taken.

Nunez said he was “thankful” that no staff were in the coffee shop at the time of the robbery.

“What are you going to do against six people? It’s scary that this is the reality for us now,” Nunez said.

He claimed that he had seen the same group of people in the vicinity of the coffee shop on several evenings last week before the burglary.

‘Not as safe’

It’s a Trap staff said they were “not sure” if they believed that the culprits would be apprehended by gardaí.

Nunez said that several people were seen walking by the store as the burglary was happening, and they “did nothing”.

“I really hope something happens, but I try not to be that hopeful anymore. Like, I know the crime in the city, it’s crazy.”

Nunez has lived in Dublin for almost 11 years, and has worked at the Aungier Street coffee shop for two-and-a-half years.

It's a Trap.

“Even in the short span of time since I started working here, I’ve seen that the south inner city is not as safe as it used to be”.

He claimed that a number of businesses on Aungier Street had been burgled in recent months, and it was “a common occurrence”.

“We had a robbery here on 18th March last year, and we were the seventh business hit by the robber that day,” Nunez said.

“There needs to be more active gardaí in the area. The futility of running a business here hits hard when this keeps happening.”

It’s a Trap staff have set up an online fundraiser to replace the stolen items and cash. It has raised over €2,700 in a day.

“We’re very grateful, we have a very strong community and a strong customer base that are supporting us,” Nunez said. 

He said that some of the money raised will be used to repair the broken glass and to set up a shutter inside the store.