EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Several businesses in East El Paso are responding to a robbery on the morning of Friday, February 9th.
Salon Glo and Studio DC are located in the same shopping center in East El Paso, and both were victims of break-ins early Friday morning.
Salon Glo had damaged windows, which the owner said was caused by a BB gun. The thieves also destroyed a decorative door outside the store.
“I think it was that board that saved us, because it was a wall. On the other hand, if they had broken in, they would have destroyed the station and destroyed the two mirrors there. I guess that's all I can understand,'' said Julie Ulloa, owner of Salon Glo.
Studio DC's doors were completely shattered, resulting in thousands of dollars in losses.
Both businesses are located in Viscount near Gateway West.
Daniel Chavez, owner of Studio DC, said he noticed his TV had been pulled out, as if an intruder had tried to take the monitor with him.
“There were some tools missing and some of the cabinets were open and one of my employees came in and said the money was missing from the drawer. The person appeared to have stopped in the middle of the salon, as if he had been disturbed or something,” Chavez said.
Chavez told KTSM that he believes the intruder did not realize he had left some of his belongings behind, leading to Chavez locking the door to his home for half a day.
Ulloa said it's frustrating as a small business owner to have to deal with this type of situation, especially since neither salon had cameras installed.
“Now I have to replace the doors and windows. I mean, you're talking about $800, $900 out of my pocket, because we're all trying to live and work paycheck to paycheck. And when it comes to things like this, it's money we didn't expect to spend, we didn't need it,” Ulloa said.
Chavez said he is advising other business owners to invest in surveillance cameras because there is no video evidence.
“Bring your camera. Always be aware of your surroundings and never take anything for granted,” Chavez said.
Salon Glo was able to repair and replace the windows and doors Friday afternoon, but Studio DC is still waiting for repairs.
“I hope they get caught. I mean, I don't want them to ever do something like this again. I mean, it's not a good feeling to come here and find out your business got robbed. It's a privacy issue. It's a violation of the law,” Chavez said.
