Family business in jeopardy after U-Haul is stolen from Federal Way hotel

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A family-run business is in jeopardy after their rented U-Haul was stolen – with all of their business materials inside.

Liz and Wes Anderson along with their children run Cutout Creations PNW.

They sell homemade pens, tote bags, pins, pillows, signs, 3D prints, and more at local markets and craft fairs across Western Washington.

On October 11, the family says they decided to stay at the La Quinta Hotel in Federal Way between events.

When they woke up, the U-Haul was gone.

“We parked right up front,” Liz told KIRO 7 News.

“We were like two spots from the front.”

There was no surveillance camera where they parked, making it difficult to track down the person or people responsible.

Liz estimates they are out upwards of $60,000 in merchandise, materials, and equipment because they travel with their entire business to each event.

She says the thief – or thieves – also took her glasses, her son’s Halloween costume, and all the candy they planned to hand out to trick-or-treaters.

The family had no choice but to bow out of their Saturday event.

“The loss of income from that alone is astronomical. If my husband didn’t have another job, we would probably be homeless at the end of this month,” Liz told KIRO 7.

A family friend has set up a GoFundMe to help offset the loss in revenue as they work to rebuild their business.

“The market sales have been absolutely life-changing for them, as they save up for a work van for Wes and pay off their bills,” organizer Sara Schwartz wrote.

She notes that Cutout Creations PNW has also been an amazing opportunity for their two children, Liam and Emmily to gain hands-on experience running a small business.

Emily crafts unique pens to sell at events and her brother Liam 3D prints a wide range of items including ghost luminaries for the Halloween season.

KIRO 7 asked Liz if she had a message for the person or people who ransacked their U-Haul and this is what she had to say:

“My first knee-jerk reaction was ‘I would have helped you asked me, but you took that ability away from me.’”

She wonders if whoever is responsible had a change of heart, at least partially, because the truck was returned to U-Haul.

“They actually said, ‘Hey you returned your U-Haul to the wrong location and you’re going to get a fine if you don’t take it to the right one’ and we told them it was reported stolen.”

Unfortunately, the truck was nearly empty when they arrived.

Liz told KIRO 7 that despite what’s happened, her family is remaining optimistic.

A friend is lending them a tent and some materials so they can attend this weekend’s Haunted Farmers Market.

You can support the family by stopping by their booth on October 19 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday or donating here.

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