Photo: Contributed

Thieves smash the display cases at Corner Vapes in Penticton on Easter Sunday.

A Penticton business owner is feeling overwhelmed with gratitude after the community rallied behind him following a devastating break-and-enter at his downtown vape shop.

Thieves smashed through the front door of Martin Street’s Corner Vapes on Easter Sunday, breaking display cases and stealing product. Shop owner Justin Chrystal posted an emotional and frustrated video to Facebook, explaining his insurance had just recently lapsed.

But then, "a total stranger” launched a GoFundMe fundraiser for the shop, which also supports Chrystal’s wife and three children.

Penticton came through in a big way, raising more than $5,800 in just four days.

“As much as I needed help I would have never asked for it myself,” Chrystal said Thursday. “It made me feel a lot better about my community, because I was blaming the area, so you just think differently.”

Coming off the slow winter season, Chrystal said it was looking like the break-in was going to completely sink the business or derail plans to travel to the Canadian Vape Expo running in Edmonton this weekend.

“Then out of the blue, these people basically saved us. Without the help I’ve gotten from the community, I’m pretty sure I would have been forced to close my doors.”

“When the people reached out, it made me cry more than when I originally got robbed,” he said. “When I found out that I was going to be OK — being a dad with three kids and what the hell I’m going to do to pay the bills — then all of a sudden it turns around.”

Corner Vapes remains closed, but Chrystal says he will be reopened with limited inventory on Monday while he works on upgrading security. He hopes to be fully up and running again by next weekend.

“It really is crazy, I’ve been trying to take time to make posts on Facebook and take the time to message back people that send me kind words. As much as I try, it's literally impossible to keep up.”

“It means a lot, it's really changed everything,” Chrystal said.