Palo Alto businesses owners are reeling after a dozen downtown businesses were vandalized on Monday and left with more than $100,000 in damage, according to Palo Alto police.
About a dozen businesses on and around Palo Alto’s bustling University Avenue were vandalized early Monday morning, including the Apple Store, Siam Royal, SliderBar, Lululemon and YAYOI. Form Fitness, at 445 Bryant St., just a couple blocks away, was likewise targeted. Palo Alto Online first reported the incident.
“Small businesses don’t need this,” Sassan Golafshan, owner of Form Fitness, told SFGATE. “Downtown has become a war zone.”
At around 3:54 a.m. Monday, Palo Alto police received a call about active vandalism at SliderBar restaurant, located at 324 University Ave. According to the report, the caller told police that they witnessed a suspect kick the front window and stated that there was more damage to other businesses in the area.
Palo Alto police responded and minutes later arrested suspect Joshua Sinclair Kahan, 37, who was booked at the Santa Clara County Main Jail on 12 counts of felony vandalism. Kahan was also booked on three separate outstanding arrest warrants. Police say Kahn was responsible smashing windows with rocks and trash can lids. As a result, the owners of Form Fitness and Siam Royal will have to pay for thousands of dollars in repairs.
“The gentleman smashed our front window, which is a $4,000 piece of glass, and we have to come up with the funds,” Golafshan said. “Small businesses were already suffering.”
Judy Vasa, the owner of Siam Royal, learned about the vandalism later that morning and was shocked to find that the restaurant entrance was so badly damaged she had trouble opening the door. Vasa said that she had to request an emergency $1,000 repair to replace the door.
“We had to keep the door open all day because we couldn’t close the door,” Vasa said. “If we had closed [completely], we still would have to pay other expenses… so it wasn’t worth it to close at all.”
Both Vasa and Golafshan shared that filing a claim with their insurance wasn’t something either of them could afford to avoid a higher premium. “That’s the system that we have in place, and small businesses are victimized,” Golafshan said.
Vasa said that operating her restaurant had already been challenging given the two-year pandemic. She feels especially frustrated when she looks at the series of issues she’s already dealt with, which includes a lawsuit early last year over ADA compliance. And now, paying for the vandalized door has become another snag in an already dire situation.
“The business is not as good as it used to be,” Vasa said. “I just feel like it’s not fair.”