Owners of at least two women’s clothing boutiques in the Dallas-Fort Worth area say bold thieves have targeted them and swiped thousands of dollars worth of…
Owners of at least two women’s clothing boutiques in the Dallas -Fort Worth area say bold thieves have targeted them and swiped thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.The first retail theft occurred on July 22 at about 3 p.
m. at My Secret Closet, a boutique along Preston Road in Far North Dallas. Owner Debbie Downs didn’t realize what had transpired until the following day when she went to move a rack of costly ‘prairie dresses.’“I was going to move the dresses, and then I looked to where I was going to move them, and I thought: Well, they’re not there,” she said. “Then I watched the video, and I was just in shock. I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing.” Multiple surveillance cameras scattered throughout the high-end new and consignment shop captured four women, a child in tow, entering the store in pairs. The video shows the women wearing black skirts and white tops walking around the store, appearing to scope out the merchandise.The women, she said, walked around holding their bellies.“They took nine of these, wrapped and wrapped and wrapped and unzipped their skirt and stuffed them in there,” said Downs, demonstrating with several small and medium dresses. They also eyed high-end designer handbags, including Louis Vuitton. Fortunately, Downs says her handbags are always tethered by a security cord, requiring a sales associate to unlock them. She can’t be sure, but Downs believes the crooks must have been wearing specialized garments to carry so much merchandise and somehow block sensors from sounding at the door. “They did over $4,000 worth of merchandise, mostly on new and a few on the resale side,” she said. “We probably have more merchandise that’s missing, and we won’t know toward the end of the season,” she said."Heartbreaking,” said Downs. “Why do you have that child with you? Are you training her to take your footsteps in the future? I will never understand that. She was cute a little bow in her hair and it’s so wrong so wrong these women need to be stopped.” It wasn’t until Downs posted the video online that she discovered she may not have been the only boutique targeted on July 22. The owner of Striped Box Boutique in Frisco contacted Downs with an incredible account.Melissa Mitchell, who owns Striped Box Boutique, located along the Dallas North Tollway, tells NBC 5 that her shop was hit at about 4 p.m. She said they were in and out in three minutes, stealing long dresses, jewelry, and tops of all sizes.The women stole at least $1,600 worth of merchandise, though Mitchell says the list of missing items continues to grow. The small business owner said the money was coming from my pocket. She describes the incident as ‘unsettling’ and violating their space.The Dallas Police Department issued an official news release confirming officers responded to a theft call in the 18000 block of Preston Road on July 23. The preliminary investigation determined that unknown suspects entered the location and took property. The suspects left the area, and no arrests have been made, according to authorities. Frisco police say they are investigating the retail theft in their city. While the women in Frisco do look and act like the women in the Dallas theft, investigators are not certain they are the same people. ‘While we believe the suspects are part of the same group, we can’t say with 100% certainty they are the same,’ said Frisco Police spokesman Officer Grant Cottingham. Detectives also examine similar cases reported in Grapevine and Willow Park, near Weatherford. Thursday marks one month since the theft.“Wondering if this is what our city has come down to,” she asks. “Is it a lack of leadership? Is it lack of enough staffing where does the problem lie?”Dallas Police case number: 112799-2024 Both shop owners are grateful for the support they have received from customers and their communities in the past few weeks.To the crooks, Downs says: “Shame on you. Shame on you. Us business owners work very very hard and there’s not very many mom-and-pop shops left… And shame on you for carrying that little child with you. To watch what you’re doing.”
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