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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.