ST. LOUIS — Soulard business owners said they're tired of break-ins and fed up with fixing windows and doors over and over again.
The Cat’s Meow bar in Soulard was the latest to get hit.
“It's a shame because all of us work really hard to survive,” Cat’s Meow Co-owner Ken Ortmann said.
Not long after the Cat’s Meow closed up early Sunday morning, surveillance video showed four people went through a lot of effort to break in through the front window.
“I actually still have the stone that they threw up against the glass, and it bounced off twice before they started kicking the bottom of it before they could ever get it open. We've got safety glass in it. So when it breaks, it doesn't shatter it stays whole,” Ortmann said.
The thieves only got away with some change, a carton of cigarettes, lighters, a bottle of Tylenol and two open bottles of liquor. Luckily, the business was able to welcome customers back the same day.
“As soon as we cleaned it up enough, I mean, we were open the whole time that my son and I were boarding it up,” Ortmann said.
Before the thieves hit the Cat’s Meow, they tried to break into Big Daddy's around the corner but weren't successful, this time. They did make it inside about a month ago.
“It's really annoying having to worry about securing your building, which is already secure. But I mean, it's just the fact that most of these people, all they do is they cause more damage than what they take,” Big Daddy’s Owner Jon Vieluf said.
Both business owners said they've done everything they can do: putting in more security cameras, alarms, extra lighting, safety glass and keeping a watchful eye. Now, they need the city to do more.
“All the cops come around here. I love them. They're always proactive, and they're very helpful. Just seems to be we need more of them,” Vieluf said.
Chairman of the Soulard Special Business District and Molly's Owner Luke Reynolds said the neighborhood is part of a special taxing district that funds safety initiatives.
“Most of the funding goes directly towards additional patrols through through a secondary security company,” Reynolds said.
He said a lot of the crime in their area recently has been committed by juveniles or very young adults.
“I think we need more police, but I think we need more youth programs and more things of that nature. It's not just a punitive system, it's got to be something to try to fix it before it happens,” Reynolds said.
All three business owners said they don't want customers to think the area is unsafe because this is more costly and annoying than anything, and it's truly not the norm.
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