After a driver crashed through the wall of a business Tuesday morning on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue, no injuries were reported and the business, Abbott Paint & Carpet, was able to remain open.
“It was just kind of a normal Tuesday morning,” said floor manager Maddy Connor, who was about to place a Benjamin Moore paint order. “All of a sudden, there was a huge boom and we saw a shelving unit start to come down.”
Connor thought, “What just happened?” and then “fully realized it was a car that had come straight through the wall.”
She checked the driver, who “was obviously very shaken up, but we got her out” and Connor then called 911. There were no customers in the store at the time.
Police responded just before 8:45 a.m. to the Grand and Fairview store. An elderly woman crashed her vehicle into the side of the store after she mistook her gas pedal for the brake and lost control, according to a police spokesperson. She was not cited.
Officials determined the building was structurally sound and safe for continued operations, so the store remains open for business. There will be cleanup and minor repairs in the affected area of the store.
Started in 1945, Abbott Paint & Carpet remains a family business.
“We’re incredibly grateful that no one was hurt and that our team and customers are safe,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We appreciate the quick response from St. Paul Police and emergency crews, and we thank our community for their concern and support.”
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