The "parklet" outdoor seating area in front of Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, N.Y., was destroyed last Thursday, but "it was not immediately clear who or what caused the damage," the Times Union reported, adding that city police are investigating the incident and, along with the Department of Public Works, had cleaned up the wreckage.
"Outdoor seating has been hugely beneficial to us and popular with our guests--and guests of other local businesses--since the city made it possible in 2020, and we look forward to rebuilding and being able to offer this option again as soon as possible," co-owners Amanda and Anthony Stromoski said in a statement.
The owners shared a photo of the damage in a Facebook post on Friday, noting: "Woke up like this. These are the lengths some mega corporations will go to in order to sabotage #IndependentBookstoreDay weekend. (Edit: This sentence, and only this sentence, is a joke! We don't know who did this or whether it was intentionally, but KPD is investigating.).... But please buy some books, booze, and coffee so we can rebuild the parklet ASAP!"
In an update on Monday, Rough Draft posted: "Where we're at. First, we want to thank everyone for the outpouring of community support following the destruction of our parklet last week. It means the world to us that so many of you have come to love this space as much as we have, and that there have so many offers to help us restore it."
The owners also addressed some frequent questions they had received since the incident, noting that there are cameras outside and all around the location and more will be added in the future, but "in the meantime, police are using the footage they have and investigating."
Acknowledging the many people who reached out to offer assistance of all sorts--including financially--in rebuilding the space, the owners said the offers were "incredibly generous," but they are insured "and we have an amazing contractor--Alejandro--who has already started putting things back together.... Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has reached out. It means the world to us. Please keep coming in, sharing the space, grabbing a book, a coffee, or a pint, and we'll see you soon."