LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — Little Rock business owner Heaven Mckinney was left devastated after both of her coffee shop locations have now gone up in flames, and on the same night at that.
Just two weeks ago, Mckinney was celebrating Valentine's Day with customers in her coffee shop, 'The Grind Coffee Bistro,' at her Cantrell location.
"I wanted to be able to have a space where everyone can come together under one roof and enjoy something that brings people together: coffee and food," Mckinney said in February.
From the outside, the store front looks intact, with the only things giving it away being the burned containers that have been sat at the door.
"I was out with my girlfriend when I got a call from the property manager that my business was on fire. Luckily, because we had a sprinkler system and the Little Rock Fire was quick that location suffered minimal damage," said McKinney.
She said when she rushed to her Cantrell location, she asked the fire captain to check on her other location on 21st Street and Commerce.
"He said 'Is it a big brick building on the corner?' I said yes. He said 'We were there about 9:30 and it was a complete loss,'" McKinney said.
This led her to believe she was targeted.
A neighbor said she was awoken by a friend who saw the flames as multiple fire trucks arrived to put them out.
While Mckinney's store still stands, the damage is immense.
"We did the paint. We built all this stuff, the plumbing, and it just hurts. All my savings, everything that we had it went into opening up the second location you know? I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and I did and it just hurts," said McKinney.
She said now she's focused on moving forward and knows she will rebuild to make her shops even better.
The fire marshal is still looking into the matter and investigating the cause of the fire.
THV11 requested reports of the fires, but we have not received any yet.
If you wish to help with the repairs, you can donate to Mckinney's GoFundMe by clicking here.