Community rallies around The Candied Yam after windows, doors broken

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Candied Yam in Grand Rapids remained open on Saturday after its windows were smashed earlier that morning.

According to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page, “two doors and six windows were broken” at the location on S. Division Avenue near Delaware Street SE.

“Immediately, I was angry. Immediately, I was very angry,” said owner Jessica Ann Tyson. “I felt, why? Why? They walked me to the back and I was just speechless….Shattered glass everywhere,  our precious plants just destroyed — it just hurt my heart.”

Despite the obvious signs of damage to the new downtown restaurant and event space, Tyson said her mission to invest in the Third Ward and spread love and community through food will not be swayed.

“I feel like we made this investment, this $2.1 million investment. People have come collectively together to make this work, to make this property attractive to the area,” she said. “And we did that with a pure heart and good intentions. And for someone just to abuse it the way that it was abused really just makes me scratch my head and say, ‘You don’t get the big picture. You don’t get what we’re doing.'”

Tyson said the suspect was caught on surveillance cameras and was found about an hour after the damage was done. News 8 has reached out to the Grand Rapids Police Department to learn more.

She added that she and her staff spent the earlier hours cleaning up and repairing what they could to get ready for Saturday, which was filled with extra hugs and even some early Christmas gift card buys as the community rallied around Tyson to show their support.

“The phone has been ringing off the hook. People have been coming in for support,” Tyson said. “The community has come around us and they’ve been so faithful. They’ve been kind. Business owners have been dropping by. People have been coming with their brooms, texting, calling: ‘What can we do? How can we help?'”

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