Popular downtown businesses subject to vandalism early Tuesday morning

SOUTH BEND, Ind., --Some popular South Bend businesses are cleaning up a major mess and making repairs.
A vandal broke store windows, and more downtown overnight.
Late this afternoon, the South Bend Police Department arrested 35-year-old Joshua Rogers on burglary and criminal mischief charges. Businesses are picking up the pieces after a vandal broke windows at the South Bend Chocolate Café and Spirited which saw the most damage inside.
South Bend Police got the call shortly after 5 a.m Tuesday morning with reports of broken windows at South Bend Chocolate Café and Spirited cocktail bar. At the Chocolate Café, it took maintenance just a couple of hours to clean up the damaged glass. Thankfully only the exterior was destroyed when one layer of glass was cracked to pieces. The Chocolate Café was able to open this morning as cleanup took place.
Director of operations and co-owner of the South Bend Chocolate Company, Kristina Tressler said the vandalism is not stopping business.
“We’re ready to keep going,” said Tressler. “This isn’t going to stop us in any way shape or form.”
But the same cannot be said for Spirited, which saw interior damage at the cocktail bar.
Kurt Janowsky, owner Navarre Hospitality Group which owns Spirited expressed disappointment toward the damage.
“If you’ve been in Spirited, our ambience is important to us and we’ve done a lot to curate the ambience and much of that was destroyed,” said Janowsky.
The suspect took a sidewalk flag using it to smash windows at the Chocolate Café he then moved on to Spirited where he not only broke through the front door but entered the cocktail bar.
Glass from the front door along with broken glass from damaged glassware and liquor bottles littered the floors. Janowsky said these incidents haven’t happened at his restaurants for his 11 years of operation and is thankful the damage can be replaced.
“Things happen when you’re in business, you gotta roll with it,” said Janowsky. “This isn’t the end of the world. No one was hurt.”
Despite the damage, spirits are high for a smooth reopening at Spirited later this week.
Janowsky hopes to be open in time for the Wine Walk this Wednesday.
“So, if this is your Wednesday night hangout, you kinda want the place open on Wednesday nights,” said Janowsky. “We’ll try to get her open…inventory might not be quite what it was. Last week, when you come in, your favorite bourbon might not be on the shelf yet. We’ll be fine. We’ll get back open.”
Rogers is being held at the St. Joseph County Jail.