Overcoming Adversity: Surviving an Attempted Robbery and Reopening a Business in Richmond

The owner of a business in Richmond is dealing with the aftermath of an attempted robbery that occurred early Monday morning. At around 1 a.m., three suspects tried to break into a store located off of North 8th Street using a stolen Honda Accord to crash through the front door. The damaged store was Tom Kirkland Opticians, and owner Thomas Kirkland has been working tirelessly to clean up the mess ever since.

According to Kirkland, he has not had much sleep or food as he has been focused on securing his business. Despite their attempts, the suspects crashed into the storefront multiple times but fled the scene before the police arrived.

Despite this setback, Kirkland remains positive and determined to reopen his store. He has been operating his eyeglass business on North 8th Street since the 1980s and has received encouragement from the city and community members who have stopped by to offer their support. People have been taking pictures and checking on Kirkland’s well-being, and he hopes to reopen his store in the next few weeks.

Kirkland plans to create a message wall for individuals to leave positive messages for the City of Richmond as a show of support. He encourages anyone with information about the incident or suspects’ whereabouts to contact the Richmond Police Department at 804-646-6820.