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Preston family-owned business moves to Galt after second break-in

The Cardboard Devil is making the move to Main Street after suffering $120K in break-in losses at their Eagle Street location

After four years on Eagle Street, Rick and Janice Haines' family-owned sports collectibles shop will close on June 3 and reopen on 87 Main St. in Galt on June 10. 

Closing the doors on their Preston location was not a decision the couple wanted to make, but after recovering from two break-ins in three years, they've had enough.

“We were broken into in April which is the second time we have been broken into in three years,” Janice said. "So, enough is enough. All of our singles in the one display case were taken.” 

They lost about $40,000 worth of merchandise in April. That's on top of the $80,000 worth of collectibles that were taken in February 2020. 

After communicating with other businesses like his, Rick said that he believes the same perpetrator has been hitting shops across southern Ontario and he believes it could have been prevented if local police had more resources and the province and feds were tougher on crime. 

“It’s a scary time and the government has to play a role and solve this problem because small businesses will go out of business if they don’t get a little bit tougher with crime because right now there is no deterrent,” he said. 

When the last break-in happened, during the early hours of April 20, Janice said their alarm company contacted police but officers didn’t arrive until much later in the morning. 

“The alarm was active for an hour and 20 minutes,” Rick said. “When I got here at 7:30 in the morning, the door was hung open with the alarm still going and no sign of police.” 

The Haines' said they have deep respect for police but they don't think there are enough officers on the streets, especially after seeing the decline in response times between their two break-ins. 

Rick said no follow-ups have been made to the Haines family regarding the April break-in.

Waterloo regional police, however, had a different account of what happened.

Public information officer Brad Hickey said a neighbouring business reported the break-in to WRPS on April 20, at 7:14 a.m. and an officer from the frontline support unit (FSU) conducted an investigation and completed a report. He said a forensics identification unit officer also attended the scene for photos and to process the scene.

Janice said someone could have gotten hurt since some business owners occasionally work odd hours and Rick, herself or one of their six children could have been present at the store when it happened. 

“This is a second home to our family. We come here to watch a movie on a Sunday night and order pizza,” Janice said. “Our daughter has developed anxiety because she is worried about us being down here.”

The family has ensured extra security is in place at their new location and they're looking forward to the move. Several of the friends they've made in Preston over the years have agreed to help with the move. Janice said that anywhere from 10 to 30 people could arrive to help next week.

“We have a very strong community; we have had many customers voice their support and offer their help for the move,” Janice said. “We’re looking forward to making the move and starting the next chapter for the shop. 

“We’re not quitters,” added Rick. “The new place will be a little bit bigger and brighter, and it will be a whole lot better because I know that the support, we already got has been really good. It can’t be worse than a break-in, it can only go up from here.”