Irene Klossner (left) and Nancy MacKinnon work at Blue Sky Clothing in downtown Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

It isn’t a secret that small businesses in Kamloops are struggling to cope with ongoing criminal activity in the midst of rampant social disorder. Some business owners along downtown Victoria Street are suffering emotional and financial impacts from the ongoing onslaught and fear it will only get worse.

Walking past a boarded up storefront — the all-too-familiar sign of a recent smash and grab — iNFOnews.ca went to Victoria Street to talk to several business owners who have been operating downtown for many years.

The collective voice was clear: there is a sense of hopelessness, uncertainty and stress, and even a sense of loss of what they remember as a vibrant downtown core.

“When I first came here one key was to be able to walk to work,” said Arwen Williams, manager at Instinct Adornment. “Kamloops was safe with a beautiful downtown, it was a pleasure to walk to work. It isn’t anymore, I can’t safely carry my purse. And the problem is getting worse.”

Arwen Williams (left) and Jenna Dittrich run Instinct Adornment, a handcrafted clothing and piercing shop on Victoria Street in Kamloops.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

Williams has worked at the piercing and clothing shop for 14 years, selling handcrafted clothing she designs herself, and even though she enjoys the job, she said she’s “bowing out” this fall — she’s simply fed up with constant theft. 

“I go after people, these are handmade items, these are handmade items I designed and it’s personal for me,” she said. “I’ve had a number of confrontations. People steal and literally walk out in plain site, that’s become the norm, because there are no repercussions.”

“Pretty soon all of the businesses will have bars on their windows, what happens when tourists come and it looks like this?”

Williams doesn’t keep the store open late for tourists coming into town off the Rocky Mountaineer tourist train and she seldom puts racks of clothing out on the sidewalk for shoppers anymore.

“We can’t stay open late, it’s too dangerous, and if I put a rack out everything has to be chained and tied down. Unless clothes are tied onto the hanging mannequins, people will just pull the pants off.” 

She said it's common for people on bicycles to ride along the sidewalks snatching purses.

While the store is remaining open, Williams is leaving in a few months.

“I love my job, I love curating perfect outfits for people, but I can no longer cope with what’s happening downtown,” she said. “This is a destination for people from other countries getting something quality, designed in Kamloops, but there is no support and when I do call police, nobody comes.” 

The front window of Lavender Lingerie on Victoria Street in Kamloops' downtown core is boarded up after a theft in February.

(SHANNON AINSLIE / iNFOnews.ca)

A couple of business owners chose not to comment for fear of being further targeted.

Irene Klossner and Nancy MacKinnon work at Blue Sky Clothing and spoke with iNFOnews.ca but not on behalf of the business or the business owner.

MacKinnon is the former owner of Kamloops Florist and has seen the downtown core change over four decades.

“The difference is night and day,” she said. “You used to get the odd panhandler but now people come in here and brazenly steal and there isn’t anything we can do about it. In the past, racks could be put out on the sidewalk for shoppers but we can’t do that anymore, and now more businesses are only opening by appointment. Businesses have to struggle to stay alive when no one wants to come downtown to shop anymore." 

Klossner said she used to live, shop, work and play downtown but she no longer feels safe, and even though the shop window hasn’t been smashed, she’s generally stressed out about the situation.

“There are break-ins all around us, we wonder if we’re next,” she said. “Someone was in here last week casing the joint. It’s tough to have to feel this way, it’s getting out of hand. This is our downtown core and now there are businesses with boarded up windows.” 

Both women fear if nothing changes, business owners may start taking matters into their own hands or family-owned businesses will be lost.

“The police are overwhelmed,” Klossner said. “People walk in and out brazenly (stealing) and I can’t put my life at risk, what do you do?” 

READ MORE: Community members gather in Kamloops to talk crime and social disorder

Lavender Lingerie had its front windows smashed in recently and is boarded up but the manager wasn’t there to speak with. Staff at Castles and Cottages said the front windows there have been smashed more than once in the past but no manager was available to speak to.

Owner at Manhandler Barbershop, Deanna Decicco, said she hasn’t had a break-in yet but is disheartened for fellow businesses along the street. She has cameras and an alarm system installed.

“It’s stressful, you wonder if you’ll be next and what will be taken,” she said. “If I got broken into multiple times I’d feel defeated.”

READ MORE: Kamloops lawyer with history of ignoring rules gets suspended again

Despite the frustration and fear there remains a general compassion for the people struggling on the street. Decicco said she has a good rapport with the “downtown crowd.” She volunteers at a local non-profit and does free haircuts for people in recovery.

“I’m not sure it’s the homeless crowd, I don’t think they (thieves) are on foot,” Decicco said. “I feel they (unhoused population) aren’t bad, they’re pretty messed up in the mornings and spread around. There are people who are obviously ill and we have no place for them.”

MacKinnon echoed the sentiment.

“Most of them (unhoused population) are laidback and fine, it only takes one,” she said. “Mental health issues need to be addressed earlier in life.”

READ MORE: Kamloops pot shop caught selling to undercover minor

Two owners expressed some hope for the future of the downtown.

“I love the downtown, nothing is going to kill that, we just want people to be OK coming down here,” Decicco said.

“Not abandoning the downtown is the answer or then we just give up and I think it's worth fighting for,” said Klassner.

According to a Kamloops RCMP media release issued Feb. 26, Kamloops had roughly 25 reports of business break and enters between Feb. 12 and Feb. 25. Twelve of those happened downtown and involved smash and grabs. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2024