Sometime on April 10, JewFro was broken into and robbers stole their liquor inventory. According to the popular downtown restaurant’s Facebook post, when staff arrived to prep for dinner service, the robbery was discovered. Burglars destroyed the restaurant’s back door and left with as many alcohol bottles as they could carry. Since the robbery, JewFro has set up a GoFundMe page to help them recover which has already raised $5,592 dollars of its $3,500 goal.
According to Trey Owens, creator and co-owner of JewFro: “It’s been a tough time down there in Shockoe. From bullet holes in the windows and broken out windows, it’s been difficult,” he says. “But the point of JewFro is to highlight Jewish and African histories. A block away from a Jewish cemetery and a block over in the other direction is a former slave market. Sitting where we are is intentional. This is where we should be doing this.”
A profile of JewFro was recently featured in Style Weekly’s annual print Food Issue, which is on stands now.
Owens feels there is a black cloud over Shockoe Bottom, but that people should not avoid the area. However, he says the city needs to do a better job of making sure that businesses and residents are safe.
“I want folks to come and eat, because that is what we do,” says Owens. “But I want people to look out for us and for all of our neighbors as well.”
Here is a transcript of the restaurant’s Facebook post from April 10:
“Dear Friends…we’re feeling pretty disheartened today. Over the years, having a restaurant in Shockoe Bottom and in the oldest commercial building in Richmond has posed its fair share of challenges. Among countless plumbing, HVAC and electrical issues, we have also dealt with windows being broken, the exterior of our building being vandalized, religious artifacts being stolen, a staff member being the victim of a hit and run, and the list goes ON. Each time something like this happened, we cleaned it up, brushed it off, turned the other cheek, and kept trucking, because as a business owner, our problems are our problems and aside from feeding people, our business is based on providing positive experiences.
