Marcy Landolfo, who owns the Rains PDX store in Democrat-run Portland, Oregon, is fed up after experiencing break-in number 15.
Landolfo told KATU she decided to shut it down because, “The products that are being targeted are the very expensive winter products and I just felt like the minute I get those in the store they’re going to get stolen,” the outlet reported Saturday.
She is also concerned for her employees’ safety and acknowledged, “The problem is, as small businesses, we cannot sustain those types of losses and stay in business. I won’t even go into the numbers of how much has been out of pocket.”
A notice on the shop’s door said the location was permanently closed and told visitors to use the website instead.
The notice also told customers:
Our city is in peril. Small businesses (and large) cannot sustain doing business in our city’s current state. We have no protection or recourse against the criminal behavior that goes unpunished. Do not be fooled into thinking that insurance companies cover losses. We have sustained 15 break-ins. We have not received any financial reimbursement since the 3rd.
…
Please do your part to support small businesses this holiday season and beyond. Please be vigilant in voting to make our city safe again.
When the shop suffered a break-in last month, KATU contacted Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) and officials said they are trying to increase funding for business repair grants.
In response, Landolfo said, “Paying for glass that’s great, but that is so surface and does nothing for the root cause of the problem, so it’s never going to change.”
Portland may also lose its iconic ice cream shop Salt & Straw as its founder, Kim Malek, recently pointed to rising crime, drugs, and street camping making business more difficult.
Malek said their intention is to “be at the table working with the city and county to find a solution and not move. Portland is part of the soul of our company.”
Meanwhile, Breitbart News reported November 16 there is increasing evidence America has grown more and more “criminogenic” since mid 2020 and “this trend toward more crime has accelerated since the start of 2021.”
But in September the White House tried to downplay President Joe Biden’s (D) responsibilities when it came to the crime wave, saying the issue is “complicated,” according to the outlet.