The owner is grateful no one was inside during the break-in, including an artist who had been working there only an hour before the burglars struck.
SAN ANTONIO — A beloved San Antonio vintage shop known for its community spirit is reeling after burglars struck again early Wednesday morning.
The owner of The Thrift Thru, located off San Pedro Avenue near Woodlawn, says she was jolted awake by an alarm alert just before 3:30 a.m. She watched live surveillance video as masked intruders tore through her store in less than three minutes.
“We’re very small, mom and pop, work with our family,” said owner, Payton Samudio.
Samudio, who just celebrated three years in business, said the store has always been about more than racks of vintage clothing and collectibles.
“I think we all had just a passion for vintage and thrifting, but mostly people and interaction and community,” she said. “Ultimately, that’s the goal — to make everybody feel welcomed.”
But that sense of comfort was shattered Wednesday. Security video shows four people in hoodies and masks smashing through glass to get inside.
“We were watching it live while it was happening,” Samudio said. “While I’m on the phone with police, I’m watching [the burglars] run around. There’s nothing you can do. You just have to watch all your hard work be sifted through.”
The thieves stole expensive collectibles, electronics, shoes, clothes and even cash from the register — an estimated $3,000 in losses. Employees told KENS 5, police officers later discovered at least 20 bullets scattered across the back room.
This is not the first time the business has been hit. The Thrift Thru has been targeted three times in as many years since opening.
“Even now, you kind of feel a little bit eerie in our business,” Samudio said. “This is really like a second home for us. The invasion of it all is really scary and disheartening.”
Still, she says their mission to serve the community won’t change.
“Although it was really disheartening and sad and scary, it’s not going to bring us down,” Samudio said. “We’re going to stay positive and hopefully we can still be a positive light for the community.”
The Thrift Thru plans to host its community market Saturday as scheduled.
Samudio says she is most thankful that no one was inside at the time — including an artist who had been working in the shop just an hour before the burglary.
Because the suspects backed their car into a front parking spot at the store, surveillance footage captured the license plate. That information is now in the hands of authorities. If you know who the suspects could be, you are urged to call San Antonio police.