A San Pedro couple is left devastated after their sneaker shop was ransacked in a smash-and-grab burglary, losing $100,000 in merchandise.
The heist happened on Wednesday around 6 a.m. while security cameras captured the perpetrators in the act.
Video shows the thieves smashing their way into the San Pedro shop, grabbing handfuls of expensive sneakers and upscale streetwear. They’re seen repeatedly exiting and placing the stolen items into a vehicle parked on 6th Street.
The owners of Street Sole, Mary and Jean Grisard, are now left devastated over the loss of their business and livelihoods.
The thieves managed to get away with hard-to-find collector’s items, the owners said.
This was not the first break-in targeting the shop either — the owners tell KTLA back in 2019, their store was also burglarized.
“We sacrificed a lot to build this business and we really put our all into it and it was really his [her husband’s] dream,” co-owner Mary tells KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade.
Mary’s husband, Jean, had given up a career in the tech industry and left San Francisco to pursue his dream of owning a shop in Southern California.
When the store opened in 2017, it enjoyed local success, the couple says.
“In 2019, we had people lined up for Black Friday,” said Jean. “We were that business where all of the high school kids would come out and line up.”
But when the pandemic hit, they were forced to take their business online as in-person shopping was not permitted.
Post–pandemic, the couple finally decided to reopen their store on Dec. 1, but their plans were shattered as the thieves struck on Nov. 30. They were depending on the holiday season for an increase in local sales.
The suspects apparently used a saw to cut through the front security gate and then kicked in the glass entrance door to get in, said the owners. They also destroyed several security cameras inside.
The small business owners say the catastrophic theft has left their future uncertain.
“It’s become something that we’ve worked so hard to grow and we have great visions and ideas about things we wanted to do,” said Mary tearfully. “But at this point in time, we’re not sure how we’ll be able to proceed.”
The couple says the stolen rare merchandise will likely be sold online and at sneaker stores on Fairfax and Melrose.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by the couple to recoup costs after the burglary.