Small business owners are angry, but determined to reopen, after their businesses were destroyed in the third firebombing across Logan this year.
Police are investigating after a Renault Megane hatchback was rammed into a recently-opened clothes and accessories shop, believed to have been selling cigarettes, in a suburban shopping strip on Belmore Drive at Rochedale South.
The car was set alight about 2am on Saturday 26 September, causing significant damage to neighbouring businesses.
This is the third incident involving cars ramming alleged tobacconists and setting them on fire in Logan this year. Just over 5km away on Logan Rd at Underwood, Reef Underground’s stock of aquarium fish were killed when the business next door was set alight in July. And a tobacconist on Barklya Place at Marsden was rammed and set on fire in March.
In the latest incident, tenants say all of their stock is ruined and electricity has been cut.
Insurance assessors have visited, but owners are waiting for advice.
Longtime tenant and owner of P&J Snacks Andy Dao has resorted to Uber-driving to make ends meet.
“We’re very shocked and stressed, we lost our jobs, our business, but what can we do?” Mr Dao said.
Mortgage broker Dan Brown said he was heartbroken and angry.
“We’re shattered. My wife is scared, and we’re barely sleeping because we’re worried about what’s next. I know this wasn’t a direct attack on us, but it’s frightening that it happened here, because nothing like this had happened in this area before,” Mr Brown said.
“The whole block has had their livelihoods affected. It hurts deeply because I’ve been so passionate about my business here. It felt like a real death, and it makes you feel down.”
Member for Springwood Mick de Brenni said the firebombings could have been prevented if the State Government invested in more police resources.
“Our community has been calling on the government to return officers to our local police beats, install more safety cameras at key intersections and allocate extra police in this area – and that’s been largely ignored,” Mr de Brenni said.
“All of those measures could have helped local authorities prevent this,” he said.
“Locals are feeling it for the shop owners who have been caught up in this. No one can take away what has happened, but I’m proud that our neighbourhood is rallying around them.”
A GoFundMe has already raised more than $9000 to help longstanding tenants rebuild.
Mr Brown said his business had been just about to launch a rebrand, but was now doing its best to work from home.
“We still have a lot invested in the area,” he said.
“We look forward to coming back bigger and stronger, because we value what we do here and it matters to us long term.
“That’s why we set up the GoFundMe, so we can get everyone else back on track too. When I saw Andy post on the local page that he’s doing Uber and might be moving on, I thought, ‘no, we’ve got to get you back’,” Mr Brown said.
To support longstanding businesses, visit GoFundMe.
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