'We can't support local survivors': Break-in forces thrift store to temporarily close its doors
Staff were still cleaning up Friday at Retail Therapy KW Thrift & Consign following a break-in early Tuesday morning.
"Stuff was missing. Our iPad was missing. All of the stuff we used to take sales, our safe. A lot of things of value had been taken," said Amanda Kroetsch, the shop’s founder and executive director.
Security footage shows someone inside the store around 5:50 a.m. Tuesday.
"[Wearing] all black. Very hard to see anything. And with a backpack, kind of popping up and down in our aisles at the store here, shoving stuff in a backpack," Kroetsch described.
Security image from Retail Therapy KW Thrift & Consign. (Submitted)
She estimates around $5,000 worth of electronics and cash were taken. The store was forced to close its doors on Friday, because staff couldn’t process any sales.
Kroetsch said they’ve received some replacement electronics so they can get the store up and running.
They plan on reopening Saturday.
Support suspended
Retail Therapy is part of the Domestic Violence Victim’s Alliance. While operating as a thrift store to the general public, it also allows survivors of domestic violence to shop for free. It typically sees between one to two survivors per week.
"We can't support local survivors of domestic violence right now, and we normally do one or two shops a week to support people. So that's really the worst part of it," Kroetsch said.
"It's sad that it had to be closed when so many people could have been helped," added Alicia Flynn, one of the shop’s volunteers.
Retail Therapy KW Thrift & Consign on April 12, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)
Kroetsch said the store doesn’t take inventory of each item they receive and they’re still trying to figure out what was all taken.
"We actually have a sign on our front door that says: 'Hey, please don't steal from us. If you have anything that you need, just come up and ask. We're happy to give it to you,'" she explained.
Updating security
According to Kroetsch, other camera footage showed the thief entering other businesses in their shared building.
The store is now in the process of beefing up their security.
"We had them come in, just completely overhaul everything, reteach us how to use everything. We now have panic buttons as well, even though we weren't here when this theft happened. Everybody's kind of spooked, of course," Kroetsch said.
Store fundraisers
Retail Therapy KW Thrift & Consign is planning on holding two fundraisers this month and also an online fundraiser.
Waterloo regional police are investigating the theft and are asking anyone with information to contact them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.