Gilroy business owners are expressing frustration and demanding answers after several break-ins in the past few weeks.
Janice Albright, owner of Ale House and Bistro, said her business has been broken into twice in the past three weeks. But we can’t close the door because we need every bit of money for repairs.
“I have to pay another $1,000 to fix the broken glass door,” she said.
Albright has owned the Ale House and Bistro for nearly 20 years, and when staff entered the store on Friday, they discovered broken glass covering the concrete outside and the flooring inside.
She claims the robbers used a rock to break the glass door and stole about $50 from the cash register.
Albright added that Friday’s incident is similar to what happened the first time.
“Somebody threw a rock, so there were rocks inside the restaurant, and they just caused damage to our property,” she said. “For someone who’s working a business 12 to 14 hours a day, around the clock, trying to survive, that’s not that interesting. There are a lot of people like us, a lot of businesses like ours.”
In the same square on First Street, Dominic Bozzo said his family’s restaurant was broken into.
Bozzo, whose family owns Louis Lasagna, said the store was broken into a few weeks before it opened.
“Someone came from the side and broke the window, but they didn’t steal anything, they just took a toolbox and some power drills,” he said.
Louis Lasagna opened this week, but the incident has left Bozzo feeling threatened.
The community heard about the incident and came out to support Albright’s business.
“I can’t believe it. Why would people do something like that? I would never do anything to harm another person,” Albright said.
