Thieves clear out $20K of Kelowna Optometry store product in under a minute

Thieves in & out in a minute

A Kelowna optometrist and store owner was left shocked on Saturday, after thieves broke in and cleared out an estimated $20,000 in inventory early Saturday morning.

Dr. Nancy Friessen, who opened Visionology Optometry in the Guisachan Village Centre almost a year ago, said she got a call after a fellow business owner notified the property manager.

While she does have a security system, unfortunately, it did not go off that morning when they broke in.

"They came in just after 4:30 a.m. and busted through my back door," she said. "They were in and out in exactly a minute. So they knew what they were doing."

The two, dressed in all black and wearing masks, took all the sunglasses and some of the ophthalmic clear frames. They were caught on security video inside and outside of the shop.

"So they took two-thirds of my collection and literally ran off in the parking lot," Friessen said. "There are no license plates, there are no vehicles, there's nothing to track. So not a fun thing to experience as a small business owner."

Friessen said she was shocked by how meticulous they were, even avoiding the security guard who walked around the village centre.

"They've obviously planned this, and that uncomfortable feeling settles in when you start to realize how long these guys have been looking at my shop and targeting it."

The incident has been reported to the RCMP and insurance. Friessen said police told her it's unlikely they'll find the thieves.

"There are other optometry clinics that have had this experience locally years ago. But yeah, these guys that are stealing things, they generally get away with it, and it's unfortunate."

She expects insurance will take a while to get back to her and hopes they'll cover the replacement cost of what was lost, and the glass on the door broken to get inside.

"I poured my heart and soul into building this space," Friessen said. "Opening the shop has been my dream. I wanted to be an eye doctor since I was five. And, I'm finally here, and I'm glad that I did it."

Neighbouring businesses and friends stopped in at the shop to check on Friessen, which she is grateful for.

"As hard as it is...I'm so happy that I have such a great support team."

Friessen said people in the community can help by stopping in for an eye exam or checking out the trunk show at their shop on Nov. 6.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 and reference file number 25-62817.

Photo: Nancy Friessen

The two thieves were caught on camera breaking into Visionology Optometry on Saturday