A Salt Lake City, Utah area sneaker store is turning to the community to for help after a recent robbery to help keep its doors open.
According to Eastside Hype’s owner Austin Tate on May 1 at approximately 11:30 pm, surveillance footage captured two burglars breaking their glass front door and entering the shop.
“Not only did they take the clothes, but they took money we had for our consigners that was put away — which we only take 10%, so do the math — and then a cashier’s check for a good sum of money, and then our cash deposits for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We don’t even have enough inventory to make the amount of money we need to make to support our employees and our costs of everything.”
Austin Tate, Eastside Hype
Mr.Tate said the store reopened after being closed for several days following the break-in but the store was thinned down compared to how it normally looks.
Although the robbery was the first such incident at City Creek, which has been their current location since December, the business is no strangers to burglaries.Tate said at their previous location, “We had a string of break-ins at our last place — like three of them in I think 10 days.” all of which happened in 2021.
“I was incarcerated for a few years, got out in 2017. (I’ve) been through addiction and all that stuff and I had this idea. I went to Los Angeles and saw the culture around Fairfax and Melrose and all the people gravitated toward that and I was obviously infatuated with it. Out here, if you’re into that kind of stuff, you have to travel to stuff, and I just kind of wanted to create an outlet for creatives and influencers and fashion enthusiasts — people who were into that sort of thing.”
Mr. Tate says he is unsure how he will keep things going in the meantime, as he has to make sure there are no issues with employee wages, making it right with those who consigned products at his store, as well as repairs. He has set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes the community would help the store get through this very challenging time.
Tate thinks the same individuals may be responsible for all the burglaries, attributing this hypotehsis to the similar disguises worn by the crooks in the incidents. The latest burglary also may give credence to this as well, as the crooks had to walk past several stores to get to his.
“What can you do?” Tate shrugged. “It’s stressful because I don’t know if we’re going to lose this place or whatever it is, you know what I mean? I’m hoping for the best, obviously.”
Individuals with pertinent information on any of the Eastside Hype burglaries are asked to contact Salt Lake City police 801-799 3000.
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