DENVER — A Denver flower shop owner is speaking out after her business was vandalized three times in the last 12 months.
Kenya Johnson, owner of Unique Arrangements in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood, opened up the business around three years ago.
"I love just to put a smile on people's faces when they're going through anything," Johnson said.
She said opening the shop has been helping with her healing journey after tragically losing her 22-year-old son a few years ago in a shooting.
"I went through a tragic event. I needed this to get my mental health back together. It's been helping," she said.
She adds that the idea to open the shop blossomed around the same time the pandemic shut everything down.
"Once everything opened up, then I ended up getting a brick-and-mortar. And so that's where my journey began," Johnson said.
Unfortunately, she said the shop's windows have been broken three times over the last year.
"Just to see how somebody can break your window like that. It's just really hurtful," Johnson said.
The last incident was captured on camera. The surveillance video shows two women walking by and looking into the shop. They walk by before turning around a few moments later.
The video goes on to show one of the women hit the window with what appears to be a bag stuffed with something in it.
"Whatever was in the bag broke my window," Johnson said. "I was just so angry because they didn't take anything. They just broke my window."
The string of vandalism incidents have prompted Johnson to invest in security cameras and plexiglass. She said all of this has cost over $2,000 so far.
Now, she is hoping to raise enough money to purchase metal roll-up doors for an extra layer of protection.
"So at night, we could just shut it down and don't have to worry about window issues anymore," Johnson said.
"I love the space, and just because somebody broke my window, I'm not going to go anywhere. I believe I found my purpose. So here I am," Johnson said.
Unique Arrangements needs about $1,000 to pay for the metal roll-up doors. Click here if you'd like to donate to the shop's GoFundMe page.
