It started last Thursday morning when Coffee Keller owner Chayla Henle came to work and found the four tables and sets of chairs had gone missing. The coffee shop, which sits under the Christmas Haus, had chairs and tables for those who cannot go down the stairs, or prefer to eat/drink outside.

“I was first angry, then sad, then disappointed, all the stages of grief,” Henle said. “I was ultimately upset with myself for not taking the proper precautions to make sure that they weren’t going to get stolen.”

Henle then sprung into action to try and track down the missing furniture. The police were notified, and cameras around the Coffee Keller area were checked. Unfortunately, none of them captured any evidence as to what had happened.

A Facebook post Henle made asking the community for help received over 340 shares.

Submitted by Chayla Henle This photo, combined with Henle’s story of the missing furniture, spread quickly when first posted on Facebook and eventually tallied over 300 shares.

“It felt like an outpouring of support from everyone in the community,” she said. “Everyone asked how they can help, which was pretty amazing. We got donations immediately, five minutes after I posted that Facebook post, so we started accepting donations.”

Henle said some customers were upset the option was not available. With the story spreading like wildfire, she said the incident did bring in several new customers who did not know about the Coffee Keller before.

The big break came Monday morning. Coffee Keller employee Kate Sloot had her eyes peeled and noticed a truck with pieces of furniture identical to the ones that had been taken. The police were notified, and three of the four sets were retrieved.

“Someone had mistaken them as being free,” Henle said.

While Henle said the experience has been a bit embarrassing, she said she feels good knowing New Ulm is willing to spring into action.

“I feel like the biggest thing I’ve learned is the community has my back,” Henle said. “I didn’t realize the public support I had until a problem like this arose.”

With the donations Coffee Keller received, they have purchased four new sets of furniture. Henle said they will be sturdier and chained to the railing to prevent future mistakes. Two of the old sets have been placed at the base of the stairs for outdoor seating.

“[The new sets] should be here by the end of the week,” Henle said. “We’ll have to do some assembling and securing of everything to make sure everything’s gonna stay put. Hopefully, I would say we might have them available by Saturday. Otherwise, we will have them early next week.”

There is still one set missing. If anyone has information relating to the missing table and chairs, call the police department at 507-233-6750.