‘It breaks the trust’: Steinbach thrift store robbed, donated money pilfered

A Steinbach thrift store owner says a Nov.11 break-in was “violating” and has shaken his safety at the shop, after donated goods and money for local charities were stolen

Thieves left with more roughly $6,000 worth of money and goods, including a full donation piggy bank with up to $500 inside, said Carrick resident Chris Giesbrecht, owner of Local Matters Thrift Store, located at Main Street and Lund Road.

“I wanted to get a hold of them, and I wanted to make sure that they never did this to anyone else,” he told The Carillon. “It got to a point where I just thought to myself ‘Why am I even bothering?’ If I can’t make a difference, then why bother?”

The shop was robbed at 1:15 a.m. and neighbouring security cameras spotted two people prying open the front door, Giesbrecht said. When he arrived at the shop later that morning, he called Steinbach RCMP, after finding the store ransacked.

RCMP Sargent Joanne Ryll said officers are still investigating the break-in and no arrests have been made.

The 61-year-old first opened the thrift store seven years ago. He said he was going to deliver the donated money to a local charity in Steinbach, but the thieves stole the money the day before he planned to drop it off.

Thieves also robbed and smashed the cash register, took the debit machine and swiped a new air fryer donated to the shop. The debit machine’s loss forced the shop to only take cash payments until it got a new one, which Giesbrecht said caused the shop to lose 30 percent of its sales.

“We’re trying to run this place like we did 40-years-ago on trust. But you know, when someone does something like this, it breaks the trust, and you really don’t know who you can trust anymore,” he said.

Last week’s theft was the shop’s third break-in in two years, said Giesbrecht. People on a daily basis are “ripping through” donations left after hours, he said, with people on vehicles and bikes circling the property at night.

Giesbrecht no longer allows staff or volunteers to work alone in the building because of the rising safety concerns outside his shop. He said he’s already faced multiple violent threats from people when leaving and coming to work.

“I have been threatened with a knife. I have been threatened with a hammer. I have been threatened with a club outside my own shop,” said Giesbrecht, noting his car window was smashed in the parking lot.

Following the break-in, Giesbrecht said he’s installing more security cameras, adding a monitored alarm system and reinforcing the shop door to turn the shop into a “fortress.”

He’s complained to the city multiple times about thefts and safety worries before, but Giesbrecht said he hasn’t seen meaningful action. He wants more protection for his business and others outside of the downtown area. While the city’s private security pilot project is a good idea, he said it must protect everyone.

Steinbach’s city council voted on Nov. 4 to continue its security patrol project through the remainder of this year. Steinbach Security Services was hired on to do nightly patrols on July 2 to fill the gap left by RCMP staffing shortages.

Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk said he was surprised to hear about the break-in at the thrift store.

“I feel horrible for him (Giesbrecht). I didn’t know this was going on,” he said.

The private security pilot project isn’t only for downtown, said Funk, but it includes patrols for local businesses, developments and parks.

Funk said he would bring the safety concerns to the city’s administration and attempt to get more patrols around the shop.