$20K in jewelry stolen from West Shore store: ‘Grabbed the necklaces and ran’

A West Shore jewelry store is out $20,000 worth of merchandise after a day-time robbery.

Cory Kowalchuk, owner of Westshore Jewelry, recounts the brazen robbery that happened on Saturday, Dec. 9, in broad daylight.

“He looked around the store for about five, six minutes, and there was another couple shopping in the store,” Kowalchuk told CHEK News.

“He asked the young lady working to see a few necklaces, and when she turned to help the other customer next to her, he grabbed the necklaces and ran out the door.”

The alleged thief entered the store twice on the same day the robbery occurred, according to Kowalchuk.

The first time, he looked like he was browsing, and then he returned at 4 p.m. and made off with the jewelry, the store owner says.

It’s the first major theft Kowalchuk has experienced in the nine years he’s been operating the store, which is located in Langford Centre on Goldstream Avenue.

“Generally, it’s been a really safe place, you know. We enjoy having our doors open in the spring and the summertime, and I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore,” he said.

Two weeks prior, at Local Pizza, business owner Guulzer Jri got his window kicked in. The pizza shop is located just next door to Westshore Jewelry.

Like Kowalchuck, Jri has been operating there for nine years and says he’s never had an incident like this happen before.

“It’s just happening more and more…Down the plaza, there has been a couple more break and entries with broken glass,” said Jri.

Now, Jri and Kowalchuck are considering door buzzers and other increased security measures.

CHEK News has reached out to RCMP for more details about the robbery. Anyone with information regarding the robbery is asked to call West Shore RCMP.

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