The owners of several sneaker stores in the Houston area have banded together in hopes of stopping what they suspect has been a string of burglaries, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars of sneakers and other inventory stolen within a matter of minutes.
“It’s just really deflating to kind of pour everything into it and in and out in less than three minutes. People can do that amount of damage to you,” said owner of Club Never, in Montrose, Kasey Dixon.
Surveillance video shows seven men breaking into Dixon’s shoe store, located on the 90th block of Tuam Street near Fairview on Aug. 21.
“They popped our locks off on the bottom of the door,” Dixon said, showing a crowbar he said the group left behind. The group also made a hole in a wall near a back door, allowing them to unlock the door to a storage area.
Dixon’s surveillance video shows the group walking out of the store, each with arms full of shoe boxes and other items.
“Our rough estimate is around $25,000 in stolen merchandise,” he said.
The shoe stores being targeted are independently owned small businesses that cater to a popular market. Sales of rare, limited-issue sneakers can top $2,000.
Several store owners told KPRC 2 that the crooks know that and specifically sought out the more expensive items.
“They know what boxes to look for,” said Joseph Garza, owner of Future Retro, located along the Washington Corridor.
Surveillance video shows a group of men pulling the front door off of its hinges on Aug. 29.
Garza said the group cleared a case containing his most expensive shoes, among other products.
“Near like $30,000. Probably like a good 20 to 30 pairs,” Garza said.
At least five sneaker shops have been hit since May, according to store owners.
Four of them were during the month of August.
Store owners say enough is enough.
Houston Police are investigating the cases.
In the meantime, several store owners have banded together, offering a $15,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.