North Okanagan shop owner offers $1,000 reward for information about thief

A Vernon, B.C., shop owner is offering a $1,000 award for any information that may help them track down the vandal and thief who targeted them last weekend.

Lois Starr, assistant manager with Cobbler’s Rack on 30th Avenue in Vernon, said it was Saturday morning when someone decided to help themselves to the shop’s street-front display items.

“They broke our windows to get those products … they took numerous ladies’ purses from one window and then from the other window they were only able to get one backpack through the little hole they had made because they lost their rock,” she said.

Most of the purses, she said, were one of a kind and they will soon offer some pictures of what was taken. In the meantime, however, they’re asking for the community to come forward and help them find what they can.

“The owner does have pictures, which she’s taken (on a) thumb drive to the RCMP and hopefully they will recognize who this person is,” she said.

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That, however, may not amount to much, she said. Certainly not enough to cover the expenses caused by the intrusion.

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“As we’ve seen, a lot of times, nothing happens,” Starr said. “If they do get caught, nothing happens to them. This way, maybe somebody will turn this person in and hopefully, you know, they’ll learn their lesson.”

In the meantime, they’re hoping that the community knows to steer clear of repurchasing these one-of-a-kind items, if they come across them in a non-retail environment.

Retail is difficult enough already without thieves and vandals making things worse.

Lacey O’Neill, owner of neighbouring store Polished Mercantile, is no stranger to this kind of financial setback.

“It’s surprising and it’s not,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve all kind of had our turn. I had one when I first opened and it sucks. I mean, it’s when it’s not enough to make a claim it’s out of our own pocket, which really sucks.”

O’Neill said its likely thousands of dollars that the business is out, but worse yet, it tarnishes the community’s view of downtown.

“People hear about it and then they think downtown’s dangerous and they don’t want to come,” she said.

Starr assured people, however, that the business is going to be there to stay.

RCMP is investigating the crime.