WINNIPEG -- You can see a sparkle, when you look at the newly fallen snow outside the side door of the Piston Ring Service on Portage Avenue. But it isn't coming from ice -- it's broken glass from the door thieves smashed during a break-in at the auto parts store around 10 p.m. Thursday.
"A little bad luck in the last week," said manager Todd Vohonos. "We've been broken into twice at this location."
Vohonos says the thieves didn't make off with a fortune.
"The change in the till, $10 or $15 and away they go. I think it's more of a thrill for them, in my mind," he said.
If that's the case, thieves have been getting a lot of thrills in the area. Several businesses in the Unicity area have been similarly victimized recently. The Westwood Chicken Chef, D Jay's restaurant, Vita Health and World of Water have all been hit. And so was 9 Round Fitness on Portage Avenue.
Michael Russell, the owner of 9 Round, says he doesn't understand why.
"We are a no-cash business. So that seems to be what they were looking for, but everything we do is off credit cards, done through gym software. We don't have any information stored on site, so there's absolutely nothing for them to get."
While the thieves may not have taken any money, they have cost the athletic facility some.
Russell says it will cost him around $1,000 to replace the broken door -- a big hit for a small business.
And while he has insurance, he said he’s not likely a make a claim.
"Insurance premiums go up. So most of the time, it's not worth going through the insurance."
Russell says none of the businesses in the area can afford to keep replacing broken doors. He wants police to put more resources on the streets to protect them.
In a statement to CTV News, the Winnipeg Police Service said it is investigating multiple break-ins in the area.
“We do not have numbers to provide, as we are still in the process of reviewing reports that were recently made. No arrest(s) have been made at this time, and we are unable to comment on investigative beliefs," police said.
