ROCKVILLE, Md. — Some downtown Rockville merchants are sending out distress signals this holiday season about crime. Business owners say repeated burlgaries are forcing them to make tough decisions about whether or not to stay open.
One jeweler told WUSA9 he’s giving up altogether, while another gift shop owner has posted a heartbreaking appeal to thieves in her store window, hoping they will leave her alone.
Police in Rockville said they are aware of the crime wave and trying to react.
This will be the last holiday season for Town Square Jewelers on Gibbs Street.
"After 17 years here and recurring crime/burglaries we are closing," a sign in the store's windowfront says.
The business owner asked not to be named in WUSA9's reporting for fear of drawing more unwanted attention from criminals. But he said a destructive late night smash-and-grab burglary in April marked the beginning of the end for his store. Uninsured damages to replace furnishings, cases and windows would push into six-figures, he said. He fears escalation to armed robbery.
WATCH: Surveillance footage from April 2023 burglary.
A few doors down at the Nature by Trejock gift shop, another sign from merchant Kenia Garcia begs thieves to leave her alone.
In a letter titled "To the Thieves," Garcia writes:
"My business doesn’t hold cash, valuable metals, or precious stones – what it does contain is the relentless effort of a woman battling cancer who dedicates her self to fulfilling her dreams. You're undermining all the financial sacrifices we've made, and you're not simply taking merchandise, you're stealing a piece of my heart."
Garcia goes on to offer a job to any would-be-thieves willing to try working, instead.
READ: The full letter from Garcia, below.
Rockville residents Gary and Emily Correll said storefront vacancies and crime climbed after the pandemic.
"It's frustrating, but I think part of it is COVID," Emily Correll said. "It just sort of changed people's moral compass."
"We do have a problem with nuisance crime," Gary Correll added.
The couple said the pressure on stores is a significant concern, but they said they do not feel unsafe walking in the area, even late at night.
Rockville City Police said they are reacting.
“Months ago, RCPD increased our presence in Town Square, has worked collaboratively with the Town Square’s property manger, asked businesses to ensure their alarms and security cameras are activated and working as well as messaged our community security tips on social media," police spokesperson Andrea Escher wrote in a statement to WUSA9
Escher pointed out that investigators tracked stolen merchandise from the April burglary at Rockville Town Square Jewelers to a pawn shop in Northern Virginia and made one arrest in the case.
Anyone who wants to report a crime to Rockville Police, or has a tip on past offenses, can call the department at 240-314-8900.