Campbell’s British Tearoom allegedly targeted in break-and-enter

A cup of tea is being poured into a teacup. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

A traditional British tearoom that’s been a cherished staple in the Barrie community for more than two decades has allegedly been targeted in a break-and-enter.

Campbell’s British Tearoom on Burton Avenue posted on Facebook Monday that their front door had been smashed. Luckily, there was no damage inside the tearoom.

In an email to CTV News Monday, a spokesperson from the tearoom said their cash register was ripped open, but, fortunately, they said staff empties it every night, so the most the suspect could have got would have been coins.

The spokesperson also added that the beer fridge was open and it looked like some beer was stolen.

According to the spokesperson, the establishment had security cameras but didn’t realized it had run out of cloud storage, resulting in only live footage and no recording of the alleged incident.

They said they would attempt to see if other businesses in the plaza had any outside camera footage but mentioned it could be tricky since Campbell’s is an end unit.

The establishment is still open Monday but with a boarded-up front door.

While the place looks a little different, the tearoom added it would be grateful for community support at the moment.

“If you’ve ever thought about popping in for a cup of tea, breakfast, lunch, or a sweet treat, today would mean more than ever,” the Facebook post reads. “Small businesses put their whole hearts into what they do, and moments like this really remind us how much community support matters.”

In a Facebook comment, the tearoom said Barrie Regional Glass responded swiftly to their call and new glass is being installed for the front door.

Barrie police told CTV News an officer was dispatched Monday morning to investigate a possible break-and-enter.

Police didn’t have any other details to provide at the time.