Nearly $4,000 in cash and merchandise was stolen from Monroe's Let's Play! Caf+¬ over the weekend by a thief or thieves believed to have hidden inside the North Lewis Street arcade when it closed for the night.
The burglary occurred sometime after the arcade closed 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. When Let's Play! co-owner and manager Michelle Shoemaker arrived on Monday morning, she was greeted by an empty, broken cash register and items missing from a nearby display case. She called the police, along with her husband, Let's Play! co-owner David Shoemaker.
The front and back doors were still locked when Michelle arrived and there was no sign of forced entry anywhere in the building, David said. This is what led them to believe the suspect hid somewhere in the caf+¬ while Michelle closed for the night on Sunday.
"Sunday night we closed up like normal. Monday morning we came in and found the till in a pile on the floor, destroyed,GÇ¥ David said. "They had taken a pair of scissors and jammed the thing open.GÇ¥
The back door at Let's Play! is outfitted with a crash bar, a safety mechanism meant to quickly unlock an outward-opening door for swift exits. Once the culprit(s) got what they came for, they likely pushed out the back door and it simply locked behind them, David Shoemaker said.
Also stolen were numerous cards from the game Magic: The Gathering; a strategic, adventure-based trading card game. The cards are visually dynamic and can be worth a lot of money.
A binder full of valuable cards was taken, along with additional promos leftover from a recent Magic "Game DayGÇ¥ event. Promo cards are unique and not typically found in sets, and can only be obtained during special events like game days, which commemorate newly released card sets.
Shoemaker believes the thief or thieves found a place to tuck themselves away in the arcade.
"We suspect they were behind some of the racing games,GÇ¥ he said.
During a walk-through with officers from the Monroe Police Department on Monday, all potential hiding places were identified and eliminated. The search yielded no clues as to the identity of the suspect, and examination of security footage didn't offer any clear shots due to a problem with the camera system.
New, high-definition cameras have now been installed, Shoemaker said.
The most disturbing part, he said, was that the thief stopped long enough to position a chair in the middle of the room, directly under one of the fire sprinkler heads. Footprints on the chair seemed to indicate malicious intent, Shoemaker said, acknowledging things would have been significantly worse had the sprinklers been set off.
"That would have completely destroyed the business,GÇ¥ he said.
And the business has been a labor of love.
Let's Play! Caf+¬ is located near downtown Monroe at 214 North Lewis St., in the building that formerly housed Eddie's Trackside Bar & Grill. The arcade, gaming den and soon-to-be caf+¬ has been in business since October 2014, and is open noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to midnight Friday and Saturday.
David and Michelle Shoemaker look forward to opening the caf+¬ side of their business in the near future, and are currently working through the process of opening the commercial kitchen.
The concept for Let's Play! Caf+¬ was borne from a desire to provide the community with a welcoming place where families could come and enjoy themselves. The Shoemakers were inspired when they moved to Monroe eight years ago with their two young daughters, noticing there wasn't a whole lot to do, particularly for the youth.
David Shoemaker decided to share his extensive board and arcade game collection, using the games to craft an interactive family gathering place that mingles both modern and classic.
The arcade portion of the caf+¬ is the result of more than 20 years of collecting, Shoemaker said. With more than 60 arcade games, Let's Play! features classics like Asteroids, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Tetris, Tron and Donkey Kong Junior. There is also a large selection of pinball machines and racing games, many of which are linked for head-to-head play.
Other areas of Let's Play! are dedicated to board games, card games and more. Guests can play classics like Dungeons and Dragons, along with newer games like Pok+¬mon, Warhammer, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering.
The whole ideais to provide a safe place for people to come and have a great time, Shoemaker said.
"We're family-oriented. Even when we get the restaurant open, we're not going to have alcohol,GÇ¥ he said. "We want to be kid-friendly.GÇ¥
The Shoemakers offer a host of board games, cards and dice for sale, and guests are welcome to come in and try games on the demo rack for free. The arcade can also be reserved for birthday celebrations, private parties and other group events.
The burglary has amounted to a significant loss despite having insurance, Shoemaker said, but they look forward to picking up the pieces and continuing their forward momentum.
Anybody with information about the burglary at Let's Play! Caf+¬ is being asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 360-794-6300. Anonymous information can be left on the department's tip line at 360-863-4600.
For more information about Let's Play! Caf+¬, visit www.letsplaycafe.com/index.html or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LetsPlayCafeMonroe/?fref=ts.Photos by Chris Hendrickson LetGÇÖs Play! Caf+¬ owner David Shoemaker stands near the new cash register he purchased to replace the one destroyed by thieves on Sunday, Feb. 14. Approximately $4,000 in cash and Magic trading cards were stolen in the burglary.
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