Thousands of dollars worth of shoes stolen from small business only weeks before grand opening
HOUSTON - A new local business in Houston is recovering after multiple thieves stole most of their product, only weeks before a scheduled grand opening.
"We’ve been building this brand pretty much our whole lives," said Khamron Micheals, co-owner of Shewz Houston. "We thought we were getting somewhere. This is kind of just a huge step back for no reason."
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Surveillance video shows multiple thieves early Tuesday morning dragging several large boxes of shoes from a backroom of the store to a car outside. The thieves were stealing from the new business, located near Weistheimer and South Voss Road, for about four minutes.
"I want to let these guys know they’re hurting more than just the business," said Lamarkus Simpson, CEO of Shewz Houston. "They’re hurting personal lives. This is how we feed our families."
Simpson and Michaels estimate the thieves stole roughly 150 pairs of shoes worth roughly $40,000.
"I feel extremely disrespected that someone doesn’t respect the hard work and the grind that we have put into building this company from the bottom up," said Michaels.
The business owners are holding a charity fundraiser event Sunday at Shews Houston, starting at noon. They’re hoping people will come out and support their new business.
"My daughter, she’s 6-years-old," said Simpson. "She’s able to understand that they got her daddy’s shoes. She was brought to tears from this."
So far, no arrests have been made. If you recognize the suspects, you’re urged to contact police.
"The main thing is getting back to business and getting product back to the customers in Houston," said Micheals.