Blo Blow Dry Bar and Pokiology are two of the most recent businesses to be struck by burglars. | Yelp; Google |
The hits just keep on coming for small businesses on the North Side.
Burglars working overnight hours have been striking hard against mom & pop businesses from Lincoln Park to Uptown. The intruders almost always target cash registers, where the next day’s opening bank is usually located, as well as any easy-to-carry valuables like laptops.
Among the most recent shops to be hit:
• Pokiology, the Uptown poke restaurant at 4600 North Magnolia. A passer-by reported seeing shadows inside the shop around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. Police arrived to find the shop’s glass door broken, but the burglar was already gone.
• Blo Blow Dry Bar, the Lakeview hair salon at 3821 North Southport, was broken into by two offenders at 2:58 a.m. on Friday.
At least five other Uptown businesses have been burglarized recently, according to a community alert that police issued this week. Burglaries were reported by companies in the 1900 block of West Lawrence at 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 28th; the 4800 block of North Broadway at 4 a.m. on Nov. 29th; the 5000 block of North Broadway at 11 p.m. on Nov. 30th; and the 1000 block of W. Argyle at 3:42 a.m. on Dec. 1st.
Police say the offenders are using bricks or concrete to break through glass doors. Inside, they slam the cash register on the floor to break it open.
No descriptions of any offenders were available from police.
Earlier this week, burglars broke into Molly’s Cupcakes in Lincoln Park.
After-hours break-ins have been a nagging problem on the North Side for several months. In a string of community alerts, investigators have encouraged companies to make sure that their surveillance and alarm systems are working. Police have also recommended the strengthening of rear doors.
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