2 Women Hurt When Car Crashes Through Excelsior Store

EXCELSIOR, Minn. (WCCO) -- During a time when stores are extra busy for the holiday shopping season, a dangerous situation in downtown Excelsior Saturday morning.

A car came crashing into a store, hurting two women. Both victims work at the store, and suffered traumatic injuries. But, rescue crews say they are non-life threatening.

The people in the vehicle were not hurt, and police are calling it an accident.

The crash happened inside one store that's part of the Excelsior Mill building.

And being that it was small business Saturday, a neighboring employee told WCCO's Kate Raddatz it's one of their busiest days of the year.

The store had only been open for a half-hour before the car crashed through it.

"We usually get a lot of kids out here," property manager Mary Colleran said.

Shattered glass and broken doors are what's left after a car went through Provisions, a home goods boutique in Excelsior.

This photo shows the car sitting in a hallway after it made its way through the store front to end.

"We were like what's that sound?" Peilin Yap said. "But it was just so loud."

Yap was working at the toy store that shares the same buliding.

She says the Provisions store owner Wendy Baker and the store manager Nancy Slycee were injured in the accident.

Yap said the accident falls on one of the busiest shopping days of the year for the town.

"I woke up thinking, 'Oh my god, I gotta do a good job. Did I do everything correctly and then suddenly this happened, you're like, it doesn't matter. It's OK. We just want everybody to be OK," Yap said.

Police have not released the identity of the driver and only said the cause was not intentional.

Excelsior Fire Chief Scott Gerber said the women have traumatic, but not life threatening, injuries.

"We're very lucky with the busy holiday season that we're certainly in that it wasn't more significant than what it is," Gerber said.

As shoppers came through the Excelsior Mill to browse small business Saturday deals, others stopped and looked at the now boarded-up shop.

A sign on the door lets customers know Provisions is closed for business -- for now.

"It's a beautiful store, it's one of our favorites in Excelsior, everybody knows it. Yes, we're hoping and praying they can reopen at some point," Colleran said.

The store owner Wendy Baker also owns another store in Excelsior called Capers.

Shoppers are hoping people will support her by going to that store.

Hennepin County Medical Center says the two women are in satisfactory condition.