An Anchorage business is recovering after being burglarized for the second time in one week.
Someone broke into South Anchorage’s 907 Vapes – Electronic Cigarettes Monday night and then again on Saturday.
Owner Jesse James said thieves stole almost all of the store’s products the first time. In a video on the company’s Facebook page, James thanked members of the community for donating replacement product, saying between $10,000 and $12,000 of product, at retail value, was stolen.
Everything that had been donated to the store after the first incident was stolen during the second burglary, and the suspected burglar(s) left a broken window, a damaged television and a bullet hole in the front counter.
James says he has no idea who did it or why.
“The first time was really surreal; it was almost like it never happened. It never really sank in the first time,” James said. “The second time…I’m devastated.”
The Anchorage Police Department has opened an investigation and has begun collecting evidence, including blood samples from the broken window. James says he plans to install a security system.