The owner of The Source in Qualicum Beach is hoping for the public’s help in identifying some thieves caught on video surveillance.
The break-in at the Memorial Avenue store happened in the middle of the night this past weekend, and it left the store without some key inventory during the peak shopping time before Christmas.
“They threw a rock through the front glass, which damaged the rear of it, destroyed the computers, which they didn’t end up taking, and they took all the Xbox consoles from the bottom and then moved on to the next display case to my right,” said Emily Dunsmore, the Franchise Owner of The Source in Qualicum Beach.
Two thieves broke in at one in the morning Saturday by smashing the front door with a rock.
They quickly stole more than $11,000 in inventory, placing the goods in large construction bags before leaving in less than three minutes.
Dunsmore got the notification from her security company right away. Police were waiting for her when she arrived among the mess.
“Glass everywhere. The front door was smashed. The cabinet to my right was smashed. There was just glass everywhere,” said Dunsmore.
“They had used some of my inventory to smash through the glass cabinets, so my printers were all over the floor in pieces.”
It’s the third overnight break-in in downtown Qualicum Beach within the past two months, including a $72,000 loss for the Gold Silver Guy store in late October.
“Me being the third one this season is quite a huge shock,” said Dunsmore.
On Monday, one potential customer was told what he was looking for was stolen.
“I’m going to have to go a little farther afield. Have to go to Nanaimo, I guess, or maybe back into Parksville to see what I can find,” said Doug Hamilton.
Dunsmore says she does have insurance, with a $1,000 deductible, but the timing is horrible.
“Devastating a week before Christmas. It was a lot of my inventory for presents. A lot of revenue was lost. I’ve already had some people walk in looking for something that is stolen and gone,” said Dunsmore.
Dunsmore hopes people might recognize the way the thieves move and be able to identify them. She’s also hoping her story and the video might help other Qualicum Beach business owners protect themselves.
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Kendall Hanson
