Roncesvalles witnessed an influx of break-ins over the holidays and into the new year, with the culprits specifically targeting small, local businesses.
Owner of Spanish Pig, Jonathan Larrad, told blogTO that he received an automated call on Saturday at approximately 2:30 a.m. when the front door window of his gourmet grocery store was smashed.
The shop, located at 77 Roncesvalles Ave., sells Spanish food including Ibérico Ham, preserved seafood, pantry goods, and a wide selection of charcuterie board kits.
After receiving the call, Larrad raced down to the store to find that the cash register and the point of sale system had been robbed. He suspects that the damages caused and the general disruption to the store will cost the business thousands of dollars.
“It’s good to get awareness out there so that other businesses don’t go through the same. It might be stating the obvious, but businesses should not keep cash at night, or at least put a note on the door saying, there’s no cash held overnight because I get the feeling this isn’t going to be the last one to happen,” Larrad told blogTO.
While video footage of the crime was captured, the owner says that the burglar was hooded and wearing gloves, which concealed their face and fingerprints.
Despite the weeks of inconvenience that lie ahead, Larrad says the community has responded with an outpouring of support.
“People have been coming up to me, calling me, and I’ve been getting a great response on social media,” he said. “At this stage, we would just ask our customers or potential customers to continue shopping with us in person or online so that we can pay for all the repairs.”
Other businesses in the neighbourhood, including Mabel’s Bakery, have also suffered break-ins in recent weeks. The bakery, located at 323 Roncesvalles Ave., also posted a photo of its smashed storefront last week, writing that they received an “unwelcome New Year’s surprise.”
The bakery’s store manager, Jennifer Hall, tells blogTO that the break-in occurred sometime between 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 1 and 12:20 a.m. on Jan. 2.
“Someone threw a large rock through our glass door and entered the store,” Hall recalled.
“I received a call from the manager at Pizzeria Defina that someone had broken in and that they had called the police. I came right over and they waited with me for the police to arrive. When I walked through with the police it did not appear that anything had been taken, however the instrument they used to break the door was near the back of the store, affirming someone had been in.”
Following the break-in, the business was forced to dedicate some time to cleaning up and had to board up its door for a few days while waiting for the glass to be fitted.
“There is definitely a feeling of violation that someone had been in our space which we have carefully curated to be a happy and safe space for our community,” Hall explained.
“What was surprising to me was the scope of the break-ins. Through our social media post, we learned of at least five other businesses between Roncy and Queen West, that had experienced something similar with varying degrees of damage and financial loss. These all occurred between the middle of December and the first week of January, it was actually quite shocking.”
Hall says the best way local residents can show their support for a business following an incident like this is to continue to visit and shop locally.
“Additionally in this neighbourhood specifically, neighbouring businesses have really been trying to support each other by keeping an eye out when their neighbours are closed, reporting any suspicious behaviour, and recommending each other’s stores to customers,” she said.
“It is very said that this string of break-ins seems to be targeting small businesses, many of whom are still navigating post-pandemic landscapes. They are the lifeblood of any community and are what make our neighbourhoods vibrant and unique. When someone in our neighbourhood is hurting, we all feel it.”
Just up the road, Coffee and All That Jazz, located at 72 Howard Park Ave., also suffered a break-in on Dec. 27.
