Year-end burglaries leave small business owners stymied

CONCORD, CA (Dec. 22, 2022) — Owners of a dance studio and high-end coral shop are dealing with thousands of dollars in damage after their neighboring operations were burglarized on Dec. 17, as they wrestle with why it happened in the first place.

“Think long and hard. Karma is real,” Cali Kid Corals owner Ben Shapiro said of the culprit. “What goes around comes around.”

Sadly, he’s no stranger to such headaches. His operation was also hit in July.

Along with damaging the door and a window, the thief took a pair of aquarium lights valued at $1,600 and $800 in cash.

For the most part, the losses he sustained are covered by insurance. That is why he was more upset by the hardship Sarah Brinkman’s Clayton Valley Dance Academy suffered, citing tablets used by the kids and the presents under the Christmas tree that were taken.

“That was my biggest concern,” said Shapiro, who lauded the community’s support in the wake of the break-ins.

Next door, Brinkman also is wondering why someone would do something like this when all it does is hurt kids.

“They feel sad that someone would take advantage of a place that is a space for fun,” said Brinkman. “It was very unsettling.”

Between the theft of electronics and damage to two main windows, Brinkman put her losses at about $50,000. Insurance only covers the items taken.

‘It just doesn’t make sense’

“Why us? What were you trying to accomplish?” Brinkman asked. “Why a dance studio? It just doesn’t make sense.”

While the dance academy works to move forward, the community’s incredible support includes a GoFund page under the heading “Clayton Valley Dance Academy Repairs.” As of Dec. 21, nearly $2,000 had been raised toward a goal of $12,000 to replace the windows.

The Concord Police Department is continuing to investigate both burglaries, looking at whether the same person is responsible for both incidents. Lt. Sean Donnelly noted that the video footage is poor.

“We are not able to provide a description for the suspect in the dance studio burglary. As for the burglary to the aquatic store, it appears to be a Black male wearing a black sweater,” he said. “As of now, we have no description or knowledge of any associated cars.”