Restocked Sneakers is nirvana for sneaker heads, and a walk back in time to the styles that people once lined up for. Even the re-issues of the classics get snatched up when they go on sale.
But thousands of dollars worth of the store's kicks were snatched up by thieves on Nov. 17.
"We got a call from Leesburg police saying the store was broken into," store owner Dana Green said.
The shop is the realization of a dream for Green, who opened Restocked Sneakers last August.
"[They] came and stole quite a few shoes, broke the window, broke the display case," Green said.
The suspects also made a mess of the stock room as they looked for the shoes that matched the ones on display.
Ten days later, the other shoe dropped.
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Green said she got a call at 3 a.m. on Nov. 27 that somebody broke into the store again. This time, they shattered the store's other front window.
As the sun started to rise that morning, Green and her employees discovered some of their merchandise strewn around a nearby park.
The clothes the suspects stole were trampled on and ruined, and the shoes they recovered didn't have their boxes, which makes a difference to collectors who want pristine shoes in the original boxes.
"People that collect sneakers, they want their boxes — and the price of the shoes, people expect to have their shoes clean, and we don’t sell any used shoes,” Green said.
Green said that between the two robberies, the suspects took nearly $40,000 worth of items, including their most expensive pair of shoes.
Witnesses saw the suspects the second time and called police. The shoe bandits made it as far as a nearby dead-end street before they were caught.
But the damage to the merchandise was already done.
Despite the losses, Green is reopening the store on Thursday.
"Because it's something new to Leesburg, a lot of people have just loved the fact that we’re here and they’ve supported us," Green said.
That community support helped Green in her decision to reopen, she said.
Five of the six teens suspected in the thefts have been arrested, police say.
