Days after thousands of dollars worth of tools were stolen from a storefront on Tennessee Avenue, the renovation team and building owner have been forced to put the project on hold.
Developer Tighe Bullock, who's leading renovations on Kin Ship Goods' future space at 613 Tennessee Ave., learned Friday morning that nearly $15,000 worth of tools were stolen from the site.
The tools, belonging to James Enoch, who owns Appalachian Renovations and Painting, have yet to be recovered.
"We had everything in a big heavy toolbox - it probably weighed 1,000 pounds - and they just took the whole thing," Bullock said.
He spent the weekend calling every pawn shop he could find within a 70-mile radius in efforts to recover the stolen goods.
As of Monday, he still didn't have any leads as to who stole the tools, which included power washers, a demolition saw valued at more than $1,000, hand drills and others items.
"Every tool we had was in that box," Bullock said. "It had to have been multiple people [who stole it]."
Enoch is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the recovery of his tools or the arrest of the people responsible.
The store's opening at the new location, originally slated for April 1, may be postponed.