The search is on for the person who ransacked a local ice cream shop.
The owner said the burglar caused thousands of dollars in damage, including melting all their ice cream. But after help from family, friends and the community, they’re ready to reopen.
“It hurts you. It hurts you that somebody would actually do that,” said Kevin Fuller, co-owner of Dunphy’s Ice Cream in Bristol.
A smashed door and broken glass are the first things Fuller noticed when he arrived at Dunphy’s Ice Cream Thursday morning. Heading inside, it only got worse.
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“A disaster. Everything out of the cabinets was spilled all over the floor. All the drawers were open. The refrigerator doors were open, and they put stuff in front of the door so they wouldn’t close,” Fuller said.
Everything in the fridge had to be trashed, and Fuller said the burglar also unplugged his freezers, forcing him to throw away 48 tubs of ice cream.
The only things missing: a label maker, a $10 winning scratch ticket and a couple dollars from the tip jar. The damage cost thousands of dollars, but thankfully, they have insurance.
“The insurance doesn’t pay for the aggravation. Doesn’t pay for the disrespect that somebody did to our business. We’re just a local mom and pop shop,” Fuller said.
For the last 13 years, Fuller and his wife have owned this local shop in Bristol. They hold fundraisers, sponsor little leagues, enjoy making new friends and giving out ice cream recommendations.
“The brookie dough and midnight caramel is unbelievable, and then I put a little bit of marshmallow overload on the top,” Fuller said.
There hasn’t been much time to dwell on the bad with so many in the community reaching out to ask how they can help.
“We just send a big thank you out to everybody for the support that we’ve gotten. It’s been unbelievable,” Fuller said.
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Fuller said all they want is to see people’s smiling faces when they reopen on Saturday at 1.30 p.m. It’s clear Dunphy’s Ice Cream is in for a very busy weekend.
“I’ve got to get my scooping arm back in shape. That’s a lot of scooping, you know, we’re going to be doing,” Fuller said.
Fuller said they have upgraded security and police are investigating.
