Bridgeport, Connecticut store on brink of bankruptcy after series of break-ins
BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut (WABC) -- A family business that has been open for more than a century in Bridgeport, Connecticut is at risk of shutting down for good because of a string of burglaries over a four-month period that have cost the owners thousands of dollars in repairs, and lost merchandise.
It's a nightmare the owners of "Jimmy's Clothing & Footwear" describe as a "gut punch."
"It's a labor of love... it's a joy. On certain days, there's nothing better than coming here," store owner Dave Schneider said.
Recently, Schneider has had to rush to his store in the middle of the night multiple times after break-ins, like one that left the front window shattered, and a display item stolen.
Last week, it was a $180 spray ground bag.
In all, Jimmy's Clothing & Footwear has been burglarized seven times in the last four months.
"It's very difficult to break even where we are, and then we're losing money on windows and theft, then in addition, we spend $30,000 on a gate system... it's not easy," Schneider said.
Jimmy's has been a fixture on Main Street in Bridgeport for over a hundred years, evolving from an Army Navy store to a destination for hip-hop fashion, but it's still a mom-and-pop business.
At 92 years old, Bob Schneider still pops in daily. His father started it all in 1920.
"It's very had to deal with now because business isn't like it used to be, and it hurts a lot," Bob Schneider said.
Marv Mouzon is part of the small staff but also gets to showcase some of his designs. He calls the break-ins "depressing."
"Seven times is a lot. It's almost like every week, you can sort of expect it. Being downtown, it's not a good feeling at all," Mouzon said.
"The customers are local, we're local, it's a community. But there's this part of it which is very hard," Dave Schneider said.
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