Detroit store burglarized twice in week. suspect caught on tape

DETROIT (WJBK) - A Detroit business owner is asking for help after thieves target her shop twice in a one week span.

She's got surveillance video of the culprits and hopes you can identify them.

Two times in a week a Detroit small business owner's store Zarkpas, has been broken into and she says it all started when she moved from downtown into the neighborhood of the city.

As clear as day, security cameras catch a thief with a hammer in hand.

"It's so hard for a small business, we work so hard for our product in our store and to have someone take it from us, it is not fair,' said owner Tracy Garley.

Once inside, the suspect grabs what he can and flees.  About $2,500 in unique merchandise was stolen at  5 a.m. Monday morning from her store on Woodward Avenue.

That was what hurts Garley the most.  She sells Detroit goods created by the creative minds of the city she loves.

It wasn't always this way. When her store Zarkpas was downtown for 18 months there were no problems whatsoever.

"You have big companies that are coming in and buying up small businesses," she said. "It's business and I tell people you have to know your paperwork."

She signed a one-year lease and couldn't afford to renew. So she moved further down Woodward and found a spot that spoke to her because of the location.

"I love the fact that I'm here across from an all-girl school," Garley said. "So I'm creating an example when these girls come across the street and see another woman like they say 'Oh, she owns a business.'"

And in that same way, she's not going to let a couple thieves chase her from her dream.

"I know we got some fly stuff but we would appreciate it if you work with us and leave our products alone," Garley said.

Her security system has a crystal clear image of the person responsible for the crime that happened Monday morning. But a week ago she says someone picked the lock and stole $15 from the register. That crime wasn't caught on tape.

Police did recover the hammer used to break into the store. If you recognize the suspect, give Detroit police a call at (313) 596-5200.