Collectible sneaker store loses thousands in burglary

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) -A store that sells high-value collectible sneakers is back open days after it was burglarized.

“A lot of these items, they’re not cheap one, and two, they’re very difficult to get,” said owner of Kingdom Kicks Don Evans, Jr.

$8,000 worth of merchandise was taken in the snatch and grab robbery in Saginaw Township. Police responded to an alarm early Sunday at Kingdom of Kicks on Bay Road just south of Tittabawassee.

The burglars used a sledgehammer to break in through the front door. Evans says they weren’t able to get their hands on much, but the items they did grab were high value.

“They did steal items off of my wall and also from my sales floor ranging from T-shirts, shoes, display shoes,” Evans said. “They did manage to get into the back of the store and ravage up a couple pair of shoes that were doubled up in the back.”

Evans believes part of the reason his store was targeted is because he sells a lot of expensive, hard-to-find collectible items like the popular Travis Scott Jordan 1.

“The ones that they stole, the one shoe for instance was from 2015,” Evans said. “I’m never going to get that back. I’m never going to touch that again. I mean, I probably can, not the same size, not the same price margin, etcetera. It’s one of those things, it’s where a lot of this stuff is hand-picked by me, trying to give our community something that we can’t see every day.”

He said the shoes he sells represent more than the bottom line.

“In our culture here in Saginaw, it’s really true to us because this is kind of how we express ourselves,” said Evans.

Evans said his business will survive, but he plans to install outdoor cameras in the front and back for extra security.

“What makes me happy is seeing people walk out of my store saying I got this here and couldn’t get it anywhere else,” Evans said.

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