Business & Tech

Thief Steals from Doylestown Boutique - Again

Someone recently stole an outfit from a mannequin on North Main Street, in a second act of theft from a mom-and-pop store.

It is hard enough for small, independent retail shops to stay open in today's economy, but being stolen from - twice - packs both a financial and emotional punch.

Maura McNamara felt the sting of just such an act recently for the second time.

On Nov. 28, in the middle of the afternoon, a thief undressed McNamara's sidewalk mannequi, which displays stylish outfits sold in her boutique, Chelsea.

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As if that wasn't bad enough, the same thing happened again, on Friday, Jan. 4.

Between 5 and 5:40 p.m., someone removed another outfit, leaving behind nothing but a naked mannequin on North Main Street, arguably the busiest street in town.

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Missing was a turquoise dress, a gray and turquoise jacket and a necklace, according to the police report. The missing items are valued at about $120.

Doylestown Borough Police Chief Jim Donnelly thinks passersby might have seen the person who took the outfit but didn't realize it was a theft in progress.

"I think whoever’s doing it tries to make it look like they work there," Donnelly told Doylestown Patch. "It’s done at 5:30 at night, so there’s a lot of people around. They walk up from the store and they undress the mannequin and they look like an employee. Then they walk back down the stairs for a few minutes before leaving."

As for McNamara, she already had made the decision to close her Doylestown store before the second theft, but said it still stung.

Chelsea will be closing at the end of January. Everything in the store, including some furniture and display cases, is marked down.

But it's not free for the taking.

 

(Chelsea's hours vary; for lastest updates, check the store's Facebook page.)


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