Amid an onslaught of break-ins and robberies, a family-owned business in Whittier will be closing its doors for good.
Opened to the community in the ‘90s, Ayman Fashion has seen a lot of change over the decades, but not necessarily for the better.
Break-ins and robberies have increased over the last few years and in the past month alone, the store has been robbed three times, with a trail of damage left behind. The owners said the cost of repairing the damage has rendered the business financially unsustainable.
“A lot of people have grown up in some of the clothes sold here, especially the school uniforms,” said Elias Haddad, the store’s owner.
Elias’ parents initially opened the shop to provide for their family. They immigrated to the U.S. from Jordan and made the community their new home. Their small business became their livelihood and was eventually passed down to their children and grandchildren.
“The first 25 years have been great,” Elias said. “The occasional daytime robbery or so, but we never had to deal with any true break-ins. But over the last year or two, they got a lot more consistent.”
The shop is now run by the founders’ son and daughter-in-law. The couple had planned to keep the business in the family for generations to come before recent events ended that dream.
The family has decided to close their doors for good after a recent burglary marked the last straw. Thieves destroyed their metal security gate and escaped with around $15,000 worth of merchandise. Similar destructive break-ins have happened three times in one month alone.
“It’s not about money or about material, it’s about [humanity], it’s about health, it’s about how is this person going to feel after you damage their business?” said Maysoon Haddad, who works at the store.
Over the past year, retail theft and violent smash-and-grab robberies have been plaguing businesses both big and small across Southern California.
The suspects typically escape with tens of thousands of dollars, leaving business owners emotionally and financially wrecked. Some residents and lawmakers believe the suspects who are caught for these crimes are released much too soon.
A new bill introduced earlier this month, S.B. 923, aims to impose a harsher penalty on career criminals and repeat offenders.
“I call it the people’s bill because it’s the people who are asking us to do something,” said California Senator Bob Archuleta at a Friday press conference.
Archuleta is backed by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, a sponsor of the bill. The proposed bill would make a person’s third theft offense a felony, as opposed to the lesser charge of a misdemeanor.
“It literally says, ‘Hey, if you are going to be a repeat offender and continue to steal over and over and over, we’re going to do something about that,’” Spitzer explained.
Under the bill, repeat offenders could also face up to three years in county jail. However, even if the bill becomes law, it will still be up to the individual district attorneys’ discretion.
The Haddad family said they hope something meaningful will done so that other small businesses like theirs won’t be targeted and suffer the same fate.
“We don’t want to come every morning and see half the store gone,” Maysoon said. “It’s not a nice ending. We wish we ended in a better way and not forced to do that.”
Ayman Fashion, located on the 11200 block of Washington Boulevard, will stay open for the next few weeks as they continue selling and liquidating their merchandise.