It’s a case of déjà-vu.
Three weeks ago, ShoeSurfing.com, a San Luis Obispo shoe business specializing in UGG boots and other sheepskin shoes, had 450 shoes valued at more than $50,000 stolen from its warehouse on the 3500 block of Sueldo Road. Now, 350 more pairs of boots were stolen just two weeks later, valued again at $50,000.
In both burglaries, the front window of ShoeSurfing.com was broken to access the shoes. Adam Stahnke of the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) is investigating the burglaries, and said the warehouse’s location, off the street and behind another building, makes it an ideal target for a crime.
“It makes it easier,” Stahnke said. “No one would hear or see the window being broken.”
UGG boots and sheepskin shoes are also goods that are in high demand, Stahnke said.
“Their merchandise is highly valuable, and it’s desirable,” Stahnke said.
Kevin Zunich, owner of ShoeSurfing.com, said he was shocked after the first burglary, and even more surprised by the second.
“The police officers the first time never said anything to me that would make my feel like (the burglars) could come back right away and do it,” Zunich said.
The broken window had recently been replaced when it was broken during the second burglary.
“That piece of glass was only in this window for seven days, and then they did the same thing,” Zunich said.
Zunich has been working with the owners of the ShoeSurfing.com warehouse building to set up new security measures. Nothing has been done to improve security yet but the owners discussed metal grates to close off the parking area at night and rooftop surveillance systems.
“All that’s in the works right now,” Zunich said.
In the meantime, Zunich and the staff at the warehouse are taking their own measures to improve security. At night, all merchandise previously left in the showroom and accessible from the front window, is now wheeled into the back storeroom, Zunich said. Large metal displays are then rolled up and locked against the doors, making the storeroom hard to reach from the front of the warehouse.
Shortly before both burglaries, Ford E-150 vans were stolen from nearby businesses. Police believe the vans were used to transport the stolen goods.
The van for the second burglary was stolen from Eagles Nest Vending, off South Higuera Street, several blocks from the ShoeSurfing.com warehouse.
Chris Gentry of Gentry Welding & Fabrication, a neighboring business to Eagles Nest Vending, said suspicious activity in the area has increased, and so has his vigilance. Several days after the van was stolen, he noticed someone had tried to pull out the locks in his work truck.
“I’ve been kind of coming down here in the middle of the night trying to catch them,” Gentry said.
Neighboring businesses to ShoeSurfing.com are a little concerned with safety risks, said Shane McSween, an employee at Cal Deals, a furniture store located right next to ShoeSurfing.com.
“Obviously there’s got to be a little bit of worry there but thankfully nothing’s happened, and hopefully, nothing does happen,” McSween said.
McSween, who saw the damage to the ShoeSurfing.com storefront after the second burglary, said he doesn’t understand why the business would be targeted twice.
“The owner’s really nice,” McSween said. “I don’t see why anybody would want to steal from him.”
All of the stolen shoes and boots have either the ShoeSurfing.com or SheepskinShoes.com logo stamped on the box, which SLOPD are on the lookout for. If the boots were still in the area at one point after the burglaries, Stahnke said, he doesn’t believe they are anymore.
SLOPD is working with other local agencies throughout the state to find the missing boots, and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can call the SLOPD or leave an anonymous tip through SLOPD Crime Stoppers.