OJAI : Shop Owner Finds Patrons’ Honesty Is Her Cup of Tea

Andrea Bloom says she never thought about crime when she opened a tearoom and gift shop in the Ojai Arcade three years ago.

Then a thief sneaked into Tottenham Court’s back office during a post-Christmas sale and made off with a bank sack stuffed with $4,000 in cash and checks, and Bloom admits that she was a bit shaken up.

“Somehow, in a small town like Ojai, you just don’t think these things happen. But they do,” Bloom said.

Since the burglary, Bloom has installed a safe to ward off future burglars, but she says her faith in humanity is being restored by the honesty shown by some of her regular customers.

Four people have stopped by the Ojai Avenue shop to drop off new checks since reading about the Dec. 28 burglary in an advertisement that is running regularly in a local newspaper.

“If you feel you would like to write us a new check, we would be grateful beyond words,” the ad reads.

Although the shop has only recouped $160 to date, the early response to the ads has Bloom optimistically predicting that others will soon come forward.

“This shows there are some pretty honest people out here in Ojai. Now what I hope happens is that, when their checks don’t clear, they remember writing them here.”