On the early morning of March 5, a thief smashed the front window of Side Street Studio on Oak Bay Avenue and took off with custom jewelry.
“We carry a lot of local artists’ work and we tend to feature their signature items in the front window display,” said shop owner Jill Fitz Hirschbold. “It will be difficult for the thief to sell the pieces as they are highly recognizable.”
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Fitz Hirschbold was alerted to the break-in around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday by Oak Bay Police who got a call from a pedestrian.
“When I heard from police, the first thing I thought was that both my girls were home and safe,” said Fitz Hirschbold. “Anything beyond that is manageable.”
A & D Glass replaced the window by 1 p.m. that afternoon so the store lost just one day of business. The comprehensive insurance should cover the cost of the stolen merchandise, but the fact that the items were custom-made pieces by local artists stings.
“The artists have been very understanding, but I feel for them,” said Fitz Hirschbold.
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She is keeping an eye on buy-and-sell websites to see if any of the pieces gets posted for sale. She is also warning other merchants to be aware of lock-up procedures.
“I want the other vendors and merchants to be aware,” said Fitz Hirschbold, “just in case people have become comfortable.”
She is upgrading her alarm system this week.
“Nobody was hurt, so that’s the most important thing.”
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