On Valentine’s morning, local bakery owner Steven Shaffer opened his shop to find it being robbed by two unidentified men. In a quick but violent struggle, Shaffer was injured.

 Shaffer, a Romanian student at Southern Adventist University, originally began selling bread at the VM as well as catering. As his popularity grew, he opened up his first bakery at Eastgate mall, and eventually moved to the location at four corners in front of Fausto’s garage.

 Whitney Aumack, a personal acquaintance of Shaffer says, “They jumped him, gave him knife cuts and beat him up, and he woke up outside the bakery beside his car. Apparently he had crawled out to his car after the guys ran.”

But the men didn’t leave without doing some damage, lightning the bakery on fire in an attempt to burn the building down.

“He called 911, but doesn’t remember making the call.” Aumack says.

 Shaken but not stopped, Shaffer is back on his feet, healing well, and working hard to open up the bakery again.

 His friends have started a fundraiser (http://www.gofundme.com/saveshaffersbakery) to help Shaffer recover as well as relocate the bakery.

By: Ben Mixon