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Seattle tattoo shop working to rebound after thieves steal equipment

Around 5:45 a.m. in the 8300 block of Eighth Avenue NW, Korazón Collective was targeted by burglars.

SEATTLE — In Seattle, a brazen break-in was caught on camera Friday morning.

Around 5:45 a.m. in the 8300 block of 8th Avenue NW, Korazón Collective was targeted by burglars.

"We called it Korazón, which is Spanish for heart, because that's just what it is. It's our passions. It's the things that we love to do,” said co-owner Ralph Green.

Ralph Green spent five years building the business with his wife Gaby. The shop offers plants, coffee, and tattoos.

They received an alert on Friday. Surveillance video captured two people smashing their way into their shop. In a matter of minutes, the burglars were hauling away the tattoo equipment.

"The tattoo equipment is really unique in that tattoo machine builders built my machines for me," said Green.

It's damage that was so devastating it shut down the shop on Friday.  

"It's a huge setback. I mean, I had a tattoo appointment today. That's like a big paycheck for me that I can't do it now,” Green said.

Instead, he's left with a video that's hard to watch.

"If they had any idea like how hard we've worked toward this with no funding and no support, like it really was something that we pulled out of the mud,” said Green.

He says after a bad morning, some good did happen with neighbors starting an online fundraiser.

"It feels really good to have the community having our backs and rallying behind us,” said Green.

In order to rebound, it requires a long list.

"I need inks, needles, tubes, machines, power supplies,” he said.

His hope now is to get back to doing what he loves.

"I feel like get to use all of my gifts and all of my talents, and serve my community like fully, to my full potential through tattooing,” said Green. “We can't stop, and we can't give up after everything that we've put into this." 

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