By Dylan Reubenking / [email protected]
King Cronic, a cannabis store located at 1110 E. Yelm Ave. in Yelm, was hit by a car around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 13. The driver of the car had accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, driving his vehicle through the windshield.
Two employees, including manager Nikita Davis, and a customer were in the store at the time of the incident. No one was injured and no arrests were made.
The impact ripped away a wall and a structural column and shattered glass. King Cronic, which has experienced three such impacts since last August, had to close while an engineer had to assess the structural integrity of the building for the company to operate. The permit was granted and the company is now waiting for the “green light” from the city of Yelm, Davis said.
“I’m hoping it gets done today,” Davis said Wednesday of the pending permit from the city of Yelm. “The engineer said he would get it done as soon as possible, knowing we need to be open and operational. If not today, then tomorrow.”
King Cronic was the victim of a burglary after midnight on June 4, when three suspects were caught on surveillance cameras breaking through the front door and stealing products from the store. The store was also broken into and robbed on August 29, 2023.
Davis said the repairs needed after the latest incident would be different from those after the June accident because Tuesday’s accident caused major damage to the building’s structure, while two months ago it destroyed part of the wall and blew out a door.
While King Cronic had put up several yellow posts to prevent such accidents in the driveway or at least limit the damage, Davis hopes that this incident will prompt property owners to provide more protection.
“More posts would be nice. More posts would have been nice if we had them all around the building. Our glass walls were exposed and they only protected our front door and that obviously wasn’t enough,” she said. “I’m hoping that maybe the property owners will be kind enough to give us a few more posts so we can avoid this again.”
Davis said she and the employee present at the time of the accident were “a little confused” and ran to the break room and bathroom to avoid injury from the car crashing through the window. She added that every time such an incident occurs, the loss of business hurts the store and its employees financially.
“It’s a hassle. We have to deal with insurance again. We have to close. So it’s not only a loss financially for the store, but also for the employees that are working. We really rely on tips,” Davis said. “It hurts when you have to tell (customers), ‘Sorry, we’re closed.’ Then you know they’re going to go to the competition. We could have used those customers here.”