Vandalism and break-in at downtown Kitchener business leaves owner frustrated

The owner of a yoga studio at the corner of Duke Avenue and Victoria Avenue in Kitchener suggests she’s experienced to contact law enforcement and maintenance organizations a few occasions in the past 3 weeks for the reason that her organization has been repeatedly targeted.

Jade Billo of Huge Bliss Yoga is a person of a handful of business enterprise house owners in the north stop of downtown Kitchener who say they’ve recognized a current maximize in criminal offense.

Billo explained it is still left her experience discouraged and terrified in a neighbourhood she once cherished.

“Rocks becoming thrown by means of our window has occurred to us two times now,” she reported.

In a 3rd incident overnight Thursday into Friday, she suggests anyone broke into the studio, harmful the locks and stealing funds.

Plywood go over the door at Major Bliss Yoga in downtown Kitchener. (CTV Kitchener)

Billo mentioned it is notably annoying mainly because the fitness industry was so difficult hit by the pandemic.

“We are open now, we hold making an attempt to make every thing back again up, but we hold getting crime, we preserve getting people split in and crack our windows,” she reported.

Billo claimed she grew up in Kitchener and opened her enterprise here four a long time ago mainly because she loves the downtown core, but recently she feels like the ambiance of the neighbourhood has changed.

She also claimed she’s seen greater harassment on the street.

“People are approaching our shoppers in the parking ton,” she mentioned. “We have youthful women coming listed here. We have young girls doing work in this article. It’s scary, it is discouraging. It is genuinely difficult to climb on your own out of the pandemic and all the things we just knowledgeable when you’re working with that on top rated of almost everything else, it’s a large amount.”

Law enforcement verify they are looking for a suspect explained as white, in his mid 20s with a thin establish. Anyone with data is questioned to phone law enforcement or Crime Stoppers.

A different company upcoming doorway to Big Bliss also not long ago had its windows smashed.

The proprietor did not want to converse to CTV News on digicam, but stated she’s also called police with regards to the vandalism and is hoping more can be finished to guard recovering corporations in downtown Kitchener.