DES MOINES, Iowa — As one of the newer coffee spots in Des Moines, Northern Vessel is accustomed to chaos.
But what started as a normal, busy Saturday for the shop, turned into a scary scene last weekend.
A car, later determined to be stolen from Urbandale, slammed into their front window, hitting a pedestrian on the sidewalk and nearly missing three people directly across the glass.
Manager Michael Johnson was one of those people.
"We heard tires screeching and so we all looked over our shoulder," Johnson said. "By that point, he was already through the intersection and headlights pointing straight at us."
Johnson, a fellow coworker, and a customer, jumped out of the way just in time. He says they were hit by the frame of the window, which pushed them forward.
"The bench flung away from the wall, so we're very grateful that nobody was hurt significantly."
The pedestrian standing on the sidewalk was pushed into the building's basement after impact, but only sustained minor injuries.
Witnesses told police they saw four men jump out of the vehicle and flee the scene. Police still don't have an ID on those suspects.
Just five days after the scary incident, Northern Vessel reopened this morning to a long line of customers eager to support them.
"Community support has been overwhelming," founder T.J. Rude said. "Today, being open, we've seen so many familiar faces that have made sure they were able to stop by."
And as Northern Vessel preaches optimism on the uniforms they wear and with each cup of coffee poured, Rude has a positive outlook for the business. He says they're learning from the experience.
"That was pretty traumatic, but I think for us, we all felt like it was really important that we get open as soon as possible," he said. "When you fall off the bike, you want to get back on and keep going."