The owners of a Belfast business have told of their devastation as they found out their shop had been attacked while they were in the airport coming home from a holiday.
Vaperizzo, on the Stranmillis Road, has been in operation in the area for over one year, with owners James and Seanan saying they have enjoyed every minute, and have had no issues whatsoever during their time. This leaves them questioning why anyone would target their shop, ruining the front with thick white pain.
Speaking to Belfast Live Seanan said: "We were in the airport on out way home from our holidays on Monday morning and a passerby had messaged us on Instagram to ask what had happened to the shop.
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"We didn't know what they were talking about and then other people started to ring us. When one of our employees arrived for work, he saw how bad it way. There was paint thrown all over it.
"The photos are actually after several attempts to clean it, it was so bad. We have been here over one year and have never had any bother, or had to ask anyone to leave the shop. Nothing like that at all.
"Who would go out of their way to try and make sure a business can't trade? Who would do that?"
Seanan says they weren't able to open until 4pm on Monday, when they usually open at 10am. Monday would be their busiest day, she said, which made it even more disheartening for the Vaperizzo team.
Belfast City Council and the PSNI were notified on Monday, with a police investigation now underway for criminal damage.
In a statement to Belfast Live, Inspector Bell said: “We understand that this attack occurred just before 11pm on Monday evening. A man had thrown white paint on to the window and front door of this business.
"The man was wearing a dark coloured North Face jacket with the logo on the right shoulder. He was wearing a mask and carried a dark coloured back pack with a white stripe on it. He left the scene on a silver and white bike towards the city.
"Our investigation is underway and we are appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time the incident took place or who may have dashcam footage which can assist us to contact 101 quoting reference number 647 05/09/22."
Seanan said they will continue to trade, and thanked their customers for the support they have given them over the last year and more recently, the messages they have been sent after the attack.
She added: "We can't thank people enough for supporting us. We have been getting a lot of calls and people calling to the shop to wish us well.
"It's awful what has happened, so we want to raise awareness for other businesses in the area, to be vigilant. Times are really tough and we are just a local business trying our best."
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