‘A gut punch.’ 105-year-old Bridgeport family business hit by thieves 7 times in 4 months
Jimmy’s Clothing & Footwear on Main Street has had seven break-ins over four months, according to co-owner Dave Schneider.
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Thieves are putting the survival of a longtime family business in downtown Bridgeport in jeopardy. Jimmy’s Clothing & Footwear on Main Street has had seven break-ins over four months, according to co-owner Dave Schneider.
“It viciously cuts our profits. We're well into over $11,000 spent on repairing windows and losing merchandise in four months. That's not sustainable,” said Dave Schneider, who’s the third generation to helm the store.
His grandfather, Max “Jimmy” Schneider, started the store in 1920 as Jimmy’s Army Navy, which has since evolved.
“It's sneakers, boots, fashion—a lot of urban fashion. We've been like a hip-hop store since 1986. I know that seems odd coming from me. But it's for real. We've been doing it a long time,” Dave Schneider told News 12.
His dad, Bob Scheider, now 92 years old, remains a co-owner but recently turned the reins over to his son.
“The bottom line is we love Bridgeport,” said Bob Schneider. “And through the years, we've been very community minded.”
That’s what makes the string of burglaries that much harder to stomach. The manner of the break-ins is the same in each—the thief uses a rock to smash one of the front windows, then steals cash or apparel.
“It is a gut punch. And it's sleepless nights thinking about it, and you feel like you've been violated,” Bob Schneider explained.
The most recent break-in came April 24 just before 3 a.m. Like the others, it was caught on the business’ surveillance cameras and reported to police. Dave Schneider said the same person committed the first few, and police told him there’s an arrest warrant for that suspect. But there’s been no information about who else is behind the spree.
Employees are fed up, too.
“It’s just frustrating,” stated Marvin Mouzon, who’s worked at Jimmy’s for over two years. “Dave and Bob are wonderful people, so you're not only damaging the community, you're damaging people that care about the community.”
“It's a very difficult thing to sustain a mom-and-pop shop these days, especially with the internet and Amazon,” Dave Schneider told News 12. “The charm of the store and the family-based business I think works in Bridgeport, and people support it, but right now we need a little more than support.”
