The owner of a well-loved coffee shop in Normanby, The Coffee Shed, is reeling after a break-in left the premises damaged and a safe stolen. Demi Moore arrived at work on Saturday morning to find her café on High Street trashed overnight. CCTV captured a lone intruder inside around 3 a.m., though it’s unclear if others were involved.
Demi, still tallying the financial toll of the theft and destruction, said she took over the space five years ago and poured her heart into turning it into the thriving hub it is today. The burglar scaled the back wall, smashed the rear door to get in, and then wreaked havoc—dumping bleach that ruined the till and other electronics, breaking another door to reach the upstairs, and making off with the safe.
“We’ve put so much effort and love into this place for our community,” Demi said. “This cruel, selfish act has left us devastated. We’ve built it from scratch, created jobs, and even pushed through Covid. To see someone try to rip it all away is shattering.”
When Covid hit just months after The Coffee Shed opened, Demi kept it afloat with takeaway offerings like cupcakes and afternoon teas. Despite Saturday’s blow, she’s been touched by the outpouring of support from locals eager to help the café recover. After a major cleanup, they managed a partial reopening by lunchtime, serving coffee and cake. “It was about defiance,” she said. “We wanted to prove they couldn’t break us.”
Cleveland Police visited the scene on Saturday to investigate, Demi noted. Teesside Live has reached out to the force for further details.
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