Toronto jewellery store broken into twice right before Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also known as the jewellery-giving holiday, is fast approaching, but one Toronto store hasn't been able to capitalize on the opportunity as much as usual this year — and it's not because of the pandemic.
Made You Look Jewellery, a store that's been selling pieces made by local designers on Queen Street West for 20 years, was recently the site of two break-ins in the span of just two weeks.
According to shop owner Sarah Dougall, the store experienced a "smash and grab" break-in in mid-January, and she had been patiently waiting for the new glass to arrive two weeks later when she was informed by her alarm company that it had happened again — this time to the other window.
"The person made away with all of our Valentine jewellery, no gold or gemstones, just pieces that were lovingly made by our Toronto designers," she told blogTO.
"We are sad. Now both of our windows will be boarded up and the healing journey begins again."
Dougall added that, while the break-ins have been difficult to process, the store's in-house jewellers have been busy making more "heart" jewellery for the upcoming holiday nonetheless.
"Despite the big blow, we will prevail," she said.
And though times have been tough, Made You Look has continued to serve as a source of optimism and positivity for its social media followers — even posting a cute poem in the caption of the post announcing the second break-in.
"Our community looks to us as a beacon for creativity and hopefulness, which is a little harder to do while all boarded up," Dougall said.
"These are very bleak times and we have been doing everything in our power to stay bright and positive."
Sarah Dougall
