Edmonton shoe shop 'ransacked' in brazen robbery, up to $30K stolen
An Edmonton shoe shop is estimating a loss of about $30,000 after a robbery late last week.
Shane Breau, the owner of the Shoe Shine Shack, said 30 pairs of shoes were taken Friday morning after three people smashed out his store window.
“Some of them were collectors items that customers brought in for us to sell,” Breau explained. “Some of these shoes they purchased for around $300 and with the way the resell market works, they’re selling them for around $600 to $700 depending on the shoe.”
Breau told CTV News Edmonton replacing the stolen shoes isn’t just the cost of retail, it’s actually the price of what they would go for on the market.
“They go up and down like the stock market,” he said.
But for others, the robbery also represents a loss in sentimental value.
“Sometimes you’re not able to put a price on that,” he said. “Some of these shoes may have belonged to their parents, who may be deceased.”
“A lot of these shoes are very valuable to the clients whether it’s just their shoes or they belong to somebody in their family. So we’re trying to put a dollar amount on these items and it’s quite difficult.”
Shane Breau, owner of the Shoe Shine Shack pulled up surveillance footage of the Friday morning robbery. He said about $30,000 in goods was stolen.
Breau has been in business for four years and said this is one of the “more stressful” things he’s ever had to deal with.
“I started this business from an idea to where we are today,” he told CTV News Edmonton.
“We’ve donated thousands of shoes to the homeless community here in Edmonton and it’s very unfortunate this has happened to us right before Christmas because we do need to replace all these shoes for our customers and I’m trying to do everything I can to keep my employees in work,” he said.
Most of the stolen shoes were from the front window display featuring Louis Vuitton and Yeezy’s. Breau said it was completely “ransacked.”
So far five pairs of the shoes have been returned, according to Breau. However, he said Edmontonians should be wary if they see high-end footwear without a box up for sale.
“Not many people are buying shoes over $500 without a box,” he said.
“If you do see any of these shoes, especially with tags on them and no box included, you can almost guarantee that these shoes are a stolen item.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer filled with relief and grief following acquittal in death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
North Bay doctor accused of assaulting patient, threatening another
A North Bay doctor is facing charges after allegedly assaulting a patient with a weapon and threatening another person at the hospital, police say.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.