DETROIT – It’s a Detroit gem, but thieves continue to target Eastern Market, and business owners are fed up as there have been a dozen break-ins in the last six months.
It’s been one break-in after another, and business owners are still trying to bounce back and attract customers, and they are very concerned this will hurt their tight-knit community.
The latest burglar smashed a window and crawled through the door at Two 18, a sneaker and streetwear shop in Eastern Market. The thief got away with more than $5,000 in merchandise.
“I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this man so for anybody to take an ink pen out of here, I’d feel it,” said Owner Roland Coit.
The video showing the break-in was from November 2022, but the door is still boarded up because Coit says thieves haven’t stopped targeting Eastern Market.
After Two 18, It was Thomas Magee’s next door. Across the street, Beyond Juice and Eatery have been hit three times, and Stache down the road had two break-ins last week alone.
“I’m worried about the community more than anything else,” Coit said. “More than myself, more than my business.”
Coit says police have been helping, but so far, they have yet to be able to get enough businesses on board for green light cameras. Still, he’s worried for the tight-knit business community in the market.
“Every aspect of it, from the sheds to the restaurants to the dining to the bars to the retail, which is a new thing here, it’s not to be taken lightly,” Coit said.
Coit says they have tried to get those green light cameras from the Detroit Police Department installed, but the issue is they’re expensive, and they would need to buy in from more than a few businesses. They’re working on it, but for now, they’re stuck with the boarded-up windows and hope that this doesn’t happen again.
