June 5th, 2023
Coffee Shop Reveals Mystery Vault During Renovations
Published by Dominic Schwebs
We were thrilled to uncover the story of a hidden bank vault at Buckroe Coffee Co. The invaluable assistance of Coffey Lockshop played a vital role in unraveling this intriguing mystery.
Social Media Frenzy as Business Owners Document Vault Discovery
Buckroe Coffee Co., a coffee shop located in Buckroe Beach, Virginia, and owned by veterans David Spring and John Napier, is creating a buzz online as it prepares for its grand opening in summer 2023.
During renovations, the owners made an exciting discovery hidden behind a layer of drywall—a locked 9x12 antique vault door manufactured by Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. Equipped with a Sargent and Greenleaf combination lock; the safe is estimated to have been made in the 1950s.
This unexpected discovery adds intrigue to the space located at 1936 E. Pembroke Ave, once a former bank.
Quick History of the Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co.
Established in 1892 through mergers, Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. played a vital role in manufacturing equipment for the armed services in both world wars. It contributed to the construction of gun mounts for the U.S. Navy and participated in atomic bomb-related projects during World War II.
In 1959, Diebold Safe Company acquired Herring-Hall-Marvin Safe Co. However, due to monopoly concerns, Diebold was required to sell or close down HHM. As a result, the plant ceased operations around 1962.
The Vault Goes Viral
In early May, the coffee shop owner, David Spring enlisted the help of locksmith David Goodman from Coffey's Lockshop to open the vault door.
However, they faced a major obstacle: the vault's bolts had become rusted and stuck. This was likely due to the vault's long period of inactivity and the high humidity in the region. The presence of sheetrock around the vault worsened the situation by creating a moist environment that promoted rust formation. As a result, opening the vault proved to be a challenging task.
The Vault Opening Becomes A Challenge
Driven by their enthusiasm for documenting the renovation process, Spring shared the captivating vault discovery on Instagram. Their video, posted on April 19th, swiftly gained viral status, accumulating an impressive 4 million views. In addition, the coffee shop's Instagram page also garnered over 32,000 new followers, captivated by the unfolding story.
What Efforts Were Made by the Locksmith to Penetrate the Vault?
To delve deeper into the locksmith's process, David Spring suggested that we contact Dave from Coffey's Lockshop. We reached out to Dave to learn about his method and requested images of the vault's inner and outer mechanical workings, and he gladly provided them.
Now, let's take a closer look at how the process of opening the vault door unfolded:
Dave began by attempting the factory default combination, dialing 50-25-50 with precision. To his surprise, the lock stopped during the last turn to the right, indicating that the bolt had smoothly retracted.
The Locksmith Is Determined
However, despite this progress, they encountered a new challenge. The handle could not retract the bolt carriage, even with the lockbolt in the retracted position.
Not one to give up easily, the locksmith tried tapping on the handle and hitting the entire door perimeter with a deadblow hammer to loosen the components. When these attempts proved ineffective, he decided to take a more investigative approach.
Goodman carefully drilled an inspection hole.
“I decided to drill an inspection hole, mostly to confirm that the bolt was fully retracted and to confirm the rusted bolt work, which I suspected.” Dave, Coffey's Lock Shop
To his dismay, the locksmith discovered that the handle spindle had sheared past the bolt carriage, rendering it useless for retracting the bolt work.
Realizing the limitations, he consulted with Dave from Buckroe Coffee, agreeing on the importance of preserving the door's integrity as much as possible.
After careful consideration, the locksmith suggested cutting a hole in the vault wall and climbing through would be the best course of action.
Working diligently, the Buckroe Coffee team used concrete saws, a hammer drill, and angle grinders to create a hole large enough to crawl through. It was challenging, as the wall was over a foot thick and reinforced with rebar. Despite the difficulty, they persevered, and after approximately six hours, the hole was finally big enough to proceed.
Upon entering the vault, it became evident that simply turning and hammering the inside handle would not be sufficient to open the door.
In order to proceed, the locksmith faced the task of removing the back cover of the vault. This posed a challenge due to limited working space and 20 screws securing the back cover between the door and frame.
Employing a small pair of vice grips, the locksmith carefully turned each screw, making incremental progress.
After successfully removing the back cover, the locksmith disconnected the four pivots responsible for retracting the top and bottom bolts. As a result, the side bolt carriage, consisting of four bolts, retracted smoothly.
Nevertheless, the top two and bottom two bolts remained stubbornly rusted to the track. The locksmith diligently applied lubricant and exerted persistent tapping to address this issue.
Finally Open!
To find a solution, the locksmith made the decision to remove the three hex head bolts from the bottom track.
They lifted the track upward cautiously, even with the last bolt still lodged inside. This strategic maneuver finally opened the vault door, providing access to its contents.
The Vault's Contents Reveal Surprising Discoveries
After hours of meticulous effort, they successfully breached the vault, but to their surprise, it held no anticipated treasure. Instead, they discovered an intriguing array of mundane items, including:
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Books
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Mugs
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Horseshoes
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License plates
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Receipts
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Computers from 1992
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Old bottles
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Stuffed animals
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Dishes
They also found a collection of rubber bands within a smaller safe nestled inside the vault.
What Will Happen To The Safe
“I feel like it’s a scar; it’s bragging rights,” Spring joked about the hole. “We’ll maybe put a little plaque above it where it’s like, ‘These guys worked way too hard to get inside this empty box.’
Source: Josh Janney, Daily Press via Associated Press
Capitalizing on the national media attention and online frenzy, Buckroe Coffee Co. cleverly leveraged the popularity of the vault expedition for their marketing endeavors. They introduced "safe haven" roast coffee bags and merchandise featuring safes and keys, catering to their newfound audience.
The discovered vault items will be showcased on a glass shelf for customers to enjoy, while the vault itself, too large to move, will remain in its original spot. They envision transforming it into a walk-through attraction, allowing visitors to step inside and make purchases.
They do not intend to cover up the hole in the wall.
This unexpected vault discovery has thrust Buckroe Coffee Co. and Coffey Lockshop into the limelight, captivating the imagination of coffee enthusiasts and vault aficionados alike.
If you're in the Backroe Beach area, be sure to visit Buckroe Coffee Co. and experience their exceptional coffee offerings while uncovering the allure of the elusive vault. This unique combination is bound to captivate your senses and make your visit to the revamped Buckroe Beach area truly memorable.
And of course, give Coffey’s Lockshop in Newport News, Virginia a call if you find yourself in a lock and key predicament and need someone to crack the case.
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While Buckroe Coffee may no longer have a working bank vault, we extend our best wishes for their security and protection in their new endeavor. We understand the importance of securing your valuable assets, regardless of whether you own a coffee shop, restaurant, retail establishment, or pharmacy.
For reliable protection of your business cash, assets, and employees, Safe and Vault Store stands as a trusted authority in security solutions. Our extensive range of products, including business safes, safe deposit boxes, cash boxes, depository safes, file cabinets, and vault doors, are specifically designed to cater to your individual requirements. Rest assured that your security needs are in expert hands with Safe and Vault Store.
Protect what matters most to your business and gain peace of mind knowing that you've made the right choice with Safe and Vault Store.
Visit us at 101 N University Road,
Spokane Valley, WA 99206
Email: info@safeandvaultstore.com
Call: 800-207-2259
About the Author
Dominic Schwebs, a home safety and security expert with over 15 years of experience is the Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Manager of the Safe and Vault Store. He thoroughly understands the art of building brand awareness and skillful product marketing using the power of social media, crafting informative and engaging blogs, producing podcasts, YouTube videos, and more. Driven by the desire to provide the ultimate user experience, he has helped to build safeandvaultstore.com into a top-selling, nationally recognized e-commerce site. He is tireless in his pursuit of creatively expanding content, educating about home and business safes and vaults, and taking the website to the next level. Dominic is proud to live, work, and call Spokane, WA home.
