SAPPINGTON, Mo. – A family-owned business is cleaning up after burglars shattered their storefront early Wednesday morning and stole thousands of dollars in merchandise.
The theft comes just three weeks before Christmas, during what would be a busy time for Glitter on Gravois.
“Under two minutes, they were in and out,” Paul Pytlinski, president of Glitter on Gravois, said. “A smash and grab. Two suspects. One watching out and then one broke the window, came in and broke this case, and took all the rings out of this case. Then went over to this case and took some sterling silver rings, and then went to this case and took some rings, and then fled on foot.”
Video cameras captured images of the thieves who smashed the front door in the 6 a.m. hour Wednesday. Thousands of dollars in sterling silver pieces and tungsten rings were taken in under a minute.
Glitter on Gravois is located in Sappington Plaza, just across from an under-construction St. Louis County police station.
St. Louis County police are investigating the break-in. No arrests have been made yet.
“Watch your stores and make sure everything is locked up at night, and if you’ve got cameras, keep watching them as much as you can,” Pytlinski said. “This can happen to anybody. We’ve been here for almost 10 years and nothing like this has ever happened.”
The thief walked right past money in a display case. Pytlinski said the high-end jewelry was locked in a safe.
Pytlinski had a message for other jewelry stores and other small businesses in the St. Louis region.
“Be vigilant, small business owners,” he said. “That’s all I can really say as a small business owner. It doesn’t just hurt my business; it hurts my family, too.”
