Paix Coffee forced to pause operations due to stolen trailer, generator

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A thief in Richmond took off with a trailer and a generator Tuesday night, devastating a small business.

It belonged to Paix Coffee, a new espresso concept in the Museum District.

The owners of Paix Coffee, Seth McDaniel, and Danny Hodge, recently quit their day jobs to take their coffee business full-time.

You may have seen them before on Monument Ave. brewing various concoctions.

Now, they cannot run it without their trailer, generator and other swiped supplies.

“It’s super devastating for our business right now,” McDaniel said. “Now that the generator and trailer are gone, we can’t take this anywhere or have the supplies to do anything.”

The coffee cart company has been a big hit with customers all across the city, thanks mainly to its mobile setup.

“It looks super different, and we’ve been on the streets, and people see us and think, ‘What is that?’” McDaniel said. “It’s really intriguing, and people have been really excited about the product we’re serving.”

In security footage shared with NBC12, you can see a man arrive at 407 Cleveland Street and get to work on hijacking the locked trailer.

“We had a lock mechanism on the trailer to keep it from getting stolen like a boot,” Hodge said. “He sawed that off with a grinder, so he came prepared. And then, it took him about six minutes to hook it up and leave.”

Both owners say between the trailer and generator, they are out close to $7,000.

That doesn’t even include what it will cost them to be temporarily out of business.

“It’s not just an easy ‘Oh, we’ll buy a new one real quick,’” Hodge said. “We also lost money since we can’t go out and do business today, so it’s a decent hit financially.”

They filed a police report and say they are now in a waiting game.

This also comes after they had to delay opening their brick-and-mortar store due to special use permits and zoning issues within the city.

“It’s going to be a long time. It’s a big bummer because we were really excited to open,” Hodge said. “It’s almost all pretty much ready, but it’s just sitting here not being used because the city has their protocols.”

If you see a White 1992 Wells Cargo trailer in Richmond or know anything about this crime, call Richmond Police or Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.

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