A downtown Vancouver business has had its large front window smashed for the third time since last August.
Citylux Boutique owner Sunan Spriggs told Global News every time a window is smashed, it costs her around $4,000.
“It’s really disheartening and very frustrating for us,” she said.
Surveillance cameras captured two suspects sitting just out front of the store on Howe Street early Monday morning.
In the videos, the suspects are seen huddled low beside a window when it clearly gets broken.
Spriggs said they used a special tool designed to break glass panes.
“As a small business, we are still recovering financially from COVID,” Spriggs said. “These windows are not cheap. There is no point in using insurance because it will just increase your premium and the deductibles are so high.
“I know many other small businesses are suffering from the same thing of having to replace windows at their own cost.”
The boutique owner said the incident is a small glimpse of the daily dangers her staff is exposed to.
“Every day there are concerns for our safety. We have people that are high on drugs and you do not know what state their mind is in and if they are going to be violent or not,” she said.
“We have a lot of these individuals on the street, they are always outside of our store.
“They attempt to come inside the store, shoot up and steal things. It is scary for us.”
Citylux Boutique says they will now look into adding new security measures such as a front gate – just another cost Spriggs said is unfair.
She said Vancouver police has opened an investigation into the incident but she said more needs to be done by the City of Vancouver to address homelessness and addiction issues.
Global News has reached out to Vancouver police for comment.