Chicago liquor store was targeted multiple times in a week, and it's not alone
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A specialty liquor store with locations in Old Town and Lakeview has been hit by burglars three times in a week – and the owner is spending thousands out of pocket just to pick up the pieces.
It turned out that many of small business owners in Chicago dealing with the same thing.
Galleria Liqueurs is located at 1559 N. Wells St. – two storefronts south of North Avenue on the east side of the vibrant street. The glass there has been replaced twice in just the last week.
"I cried. I really – I was like, I couldn't believe it," said Galleria Liqueurs owner Benjamin Pourkhalili. "Everything was broke down."
The liquor store was torn up and cleared out twice. The first time was on Christmas Day.
"So I was just kind of sad. Why should it happen on Christmas Day?" he said. "So I had to board up. I called the people coming to board up."
Pourkhalili spent thousands to replace the glass - only to get a call a few days later to learn it had happened all over again.
"They broke the same glass I repaired a few days ago," he said.
This time, more was stolen.
"Cigarettes was all over, and they even took the small bottles of Hennessy's," said Pourkhalili.
In business here in Old Town more than 20 years, Pourkhalili said some of the that were stolen stolen were extremely rare – and had been on the shelves since the store opened.
"I was really devastated. I was heartbroken. I couldn't believe it," he said. "This happened to me two times in one week."
Galleria Liqueurs also has a second location in Lakeview, at 3409 N. Southport Ave. It was burglarized recently too, within that same week.
"It was three times in one week," Pourkhalili said. "Maybe I should go play lottery."
All these burglaries happened between Christmas and New Year's.
"I hope they get caught," Pourkhalili said.
This small business owner is out almost $20,000 in damage, and more than $100,000 in inventory. And he is not the only one tallying losses right now.
Chicago Police have issued three different alerts this week - warning about businesses robbed throughout the city. In some cases, workers were held up and cash registers were stolen.
There were separate burglary and robbery patterns – with two armed robberies targeting businesses in Gage Park and West Elsdon on the Southwest Side this past Wednesday evening; six commercial burglaries in West Woodlawn and Park Manor on the South Side between Dec. 18 and this past Thursday; and six more commercial burglaries in River North and Old Town on the Near North Side between Dec. 19 and Dec. 26.
The Christmas Day burglary targeting Galleria Liqueurs on Wells Street is included in the last aforementioned alert.
We also looked closer, and found that while liquor store robberies have remained pretty steady through the years, a spike in robberies targeting bars and restaurants continues in Chicago.
A total of 111 bars were hit in 2023, compared to 54 in 2022.
A total of 628 restaurants were burglarized in in 2023, compared to 350 in 2022.
"I'm thankful I wasn't here," Pourkhalili said. "I was not held up with the gunpoint."
Police said they are still investigating all the burglaries, and no one was in custody late Friday.
The city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection issued this statement this statement in response to the burglary and robbery patterns:
"The City of Chicago is committed to the highest level of public safety at businesses, and for residents, throughout the City. The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) licenses businesses and public vehicles. Crime, such as retail theft or burglaries, is reported and tracked by the Chicago Police Department.
"The BACP Active Compliance Program is a proactive educational program which helps business owners/operators stay compliant through non-disciplinary consultations. The ACP program also distributes information helpful to businesses, such as community safety tips. BACP regularly shares information with business owners through ACP, social media, email marketing, outreach events, community partners, and stakeholders."
Sam Toia, president and chief executive officer of the Illinois Restaurant Association, issued this statement:
"The Chicago Police Department's 2023 Report cites a 20% increase in robberies in 2023. Crime affects all Chicago neighborhoods, but restaurants, which are still recovering from the pandemic and struggling with the cost of doing business in the city, continue to be targeted. "Operators will not stay afloat if employees and customers do not feel safe and secure. Resources need to be expended to ensure that businesses and guests are protected and perpetrators need to be caught and held accountable. "
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