Burglars cleaned out a longtime St. Paul business. Now the community is rallying to help.

Broken glass littered the alleyway behind Tuan Auto Repair in St. Paul.

Owner Raks Pham thought little of the debris when he got to work Friday morning — it was the fourth time in months that vandals had broken windows. But when Pham found oily shoe prints leading from a broken window inside his shop, he realized he had been burglarized.

The intruders took around $30,000 in tools and equipment.

Tuan Auto Repair has weathered decades of change in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood to become a staple among customers and residents. Dozens of those residents rallied behind Pham on Friday, asking on Facebook how they could help.

As authorities searched for suspects and neighbors gathered to support his business, Pham said he hopes officials do something about the area’s surging crime.

“The underlying problem is what’s going on with the neighborhood, the city. It’s getting really, really, out of hand,” Pham said. “The drug use around here is just getting so bad. In these past few years, it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it since we opened.”

His father, Tuan Anh Pham, escaped communism in Vietnam to immigrate to St. Paul. He worked for years before founding Tuan Auto Repair in 1986, impressing residents with his service and sense of community. Many mourned when he died in 2021, but many more extended their trust to his son when he took over the shop.

Scores of customers’ letters plaster the walls inside Tuan’s Auto. Family photos, holiday greeting cards and hand-drawn pictures share the space with notes thanking the shop’s crew.

Pham said he believes his efforts are not extraordinary, but people helped by his family’s business say otherwise.

“As a single mom who was going to school, I ran into my fair share of car trouble, and if it weren’t for Raks helping me out in those times of crisis I don’t know what I would have done,” former customer Stephanie Dean said Friday.

She said Pham has helped many others with repairs offered at a reduced price or for free.

“I am heartbroken that people would do this to such a wonderful person who is truly the champion for the underdog,” Dean said.

“I realize crime is on the rise, sadly, in that part of town without much relief in sight, but I truly hope that if we can share about what Tuan Auto represents and about what community is actually about, we cannot only show some hope but potentially find out who did this.”

Crime has become a plight for neighbors.

Pham cleans sidewalks around his business every day, often finding burnt tin foil used for illicit drugs. City workers clean graffiti from nearby businesses and billboards, only for new graffiti to quickly take its place. And Pham said recent crime has forced some residents to stay indoors and others to leave.

“Every day it’s people posting: Someone’s in my yard. Someone’s getting into my house. Someone’s stealing this,” Pham said, referring to a neighborhood Facebook page.

Members of the Hamline Midway Coalition plan to discuss safety around the intersection of University and Snelling avenues this month.

As for the burglary, Pham said there are few things residents can do to help since insurance will cover some of the losses. But that cannot replace the value of the shop’s stolen phone; it belonged to his father, countless memories captured in photos, videos and recordings.

“That’s what bothers me most ... that was a way I could still hear his voice and see pictures,” he said. “All that’s gone. Everything else is replaceable but that.”

Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said no arrests have been made but the investigation was continuing.