A devastating loss for a Solana Beach restaurant is turning into a celebration of the community giving back.
The Homestead Restaurant, a family-run restaurant, closed this week after someone stole their tables and chairs where diners sit.
“It’s pretty devastating,” Marie Brawn, owner of Homestead told NBC 7 on Friday. “We’re left with seven tables. We don’t know what we’re going to do because we can’t have live music with seven tables. We can’t feed our kids with seven tables. We can’t keep our staff on, and we can’t do that stuff with that little of tables.”
The theft was discovered Tuesday morning. The San Diego Sheriff's Department confirmed to NBC 7 that a thief struck several shops along historic Cedros Avenue this week.
Husband and wife, Marie and Jamie Brawn have been fighting to keep the restaurant open while following all the rules during the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple decided to open a GoFundMe Page to support their restaurant and its charity and over the past 24 hours, the page has raised nearly $22,000.
Local
“I couldn’t believe it. It's giving me goosebumps right now, that in less than 30 hours we passed our goal and it's still going," Marie Brawn said. "Our community has just, I mean they’ve been coming out all day today. We’ve had people offering to support our charity work, people offering to build us tables and chairs."
In partnership with the Burt Family Foundation, the Brawns created a +Box meal program that helps feed K-12 families by delivering fresh produce and grains to their local school districts. To date, they have donated over 14,000 meals.
The Del Mar Fairgrounds contacted the owners saying they can loan them tables and umbrellas, they will be dropping them off early Sunday morning. Folklore Rentals is also loaning Homestead chairs. The loaners will be used until the Brawns can buy their own stuff.
“We were able to recover some of our furniture, so we’ll piece that in with what we were left with, and we’re gonna have a great day tomorrow," Marie Brawn said.
The Brawns will be hosting an all-day celebration Sunday to thank all the people who donated and offered help with food, outdoor dining, and live music from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SDSO told NBC 7 the investigation into who stole the furniture is ongoing.
