FERGUSON, Mo. — Ferguson businesses are cleaning up the mess from protests Saturday night.
Right next door from Ferguson City Hall, a longtime restaurant was hit by protesters.
Broken storefront windows were boarded up Sunday at the entrance of Vincenzo's Italian Ristorante in Ferguson.
For 18 years, the Loneros have been whipping up Italian food. But this year with the coronavirus pandemic, the cooking came to a stop.
"This is our only source of income," co-owner Lizzie Lonero said. "COVID-19 has really put us back."
During this standstill, they decided to remodel inside and were ready to re-open June 2.
"It looked beautiful in there, we've been redoing things," Lonero said "We redid the floors."
That quickly changed, as protestors took over South Florissant Road Saturday night. Several protestors smashed windows. She says her business is now trashed and she has to push back the opening date.
A contractor who was on the site Sunday says his company has used more than 500 sheets of plywood to board-up businesses in the past two days in the St. Louis area.
As you drive down South Florissant Road, you see multiple boards up at different businesses, such as Candy's Kitchen Restaurant and Diner.
The owner made a post on Facebook saying, "I never thought in a million years lightning could strike twice in the same place."
As for Lonero, she learned about her business getting destroying by watching 5 On Your Side, when she saw a man trying to light something on fire, outside her business.
That's when she tried to save her restaurant.
"I tried to reason with some of them, but they had really big rocks," she said.
For Lonero, this isn't the first time witnessing destruction from protests.
Back during the Ferguson unrest, they were open. Lonero was handing out waters along with a helping hand, hoping to be there for her community.
"We understand why they are in pain and we hear them," she said.
But this time around, their doors were locked due to COVID-19. And that's when they were hit.
"A lot of our lawn stuff was thrown at the police station and in the street. All the windows are busted out," she said.
After a long night, Lonero was encouraged to see her community, cleaning up the mess Sunday morning.
She said this is what community is all about.
Even though their re-open date is pushed back, Lonero says, she's hopeful. And she's ready to serve the community she loves, once again.
"What happened today in our city of Ferguson, people come together. We help each other," Lonero tells 5 On Your Side.