‘How much can one business take?’

Second burglary in two years ‘disheartens’ store owner, who says she’s done with downtown Elgin

CT_IC_1025616107_1025647585_001-0629_-downtown-elgin-st-0629_10.jpg

A burglar, described as either intoxicated or unsteady on his feet, broke glass counters and damaged displays when he broke into Cook’s Sweet Boutique in downtown Elgin on June 23. Jennifer Cook

CT_IC_1025616107_1025647582_001-0629_d-downtown-elgin-st-0629_9.jpg

Jennifer Cook stands in front of her downtown Elgin store, Cook’s Sweet Boutique on Chicago Street, where a burglar bashed in her front door June 23 and stole $250. Gloria Casas/Courier-News

PREVIOUS IMAGE

Image

NEXT IMAGE

By Gloria Casas For Courier-News

Cook’s Sweet Boutique owner Jennifer Cook loves Elgin and is a champion of its downtown but after two burglaries, she’s looking for a new store location.

The most recent break-in occurred about 4:30 a.m. Thursday, June 23, when a man entered the 213 E. Chicago St. business after smashing out the front door window, Cook said.

In a security video, “he appears to be intoxicated or really, really clumsy,” Cook said of the suspect, who was wearing a hoodie and backpack. He trips as he walks toward the cash register, she said.

“He tries to get up, but he falls again,” Cook said.

Glass tables were broken and candy displays destroyed, she said. He was in the store for just two minutes but the damage was extensive, she said.

The burglar got away with about $250 in cash, and she lost business when she was forced to close for a day so police could investigate and she could clean up, Cook said. A lot of inventory had to be tossed because she could not ensure it wasn’t contaminated with glass.

“It’s really disheartening,” she said.

Cook also owns a gourmet ice cream truck, which does good business, but the shop has been struggling. Even before the store opened in July 2020, someone broke into the ice cream truck outside and stole a generator, register and fans, she said.

“I have a lot of resilience, but how much can one business take?” Cook asked. “What I wanted to do in this downtown never came to fruition.”

The idea of moving out of downtown is something she’s been considering even before the burglary because of “this pendulum shift that keeps occurring” in the downtown with the homeless population, Cook said.

“I’m not one to be fearful, but I have really noticed the oddest things. People just congregating around the bridge, a lot of open alcohol, public intoxication, people walking in the middle of the street yelling at each other,” Cook said.

There’s been an uptick in aggressive panhandling and loitering, she said. It’s similar to what occurred around downtown a few years ago during the coronavirus pandemic.

Elgin police do what they can and issue citations, but the people they arrest go to court, get a slap on the wrist and the cycle continues, Cook said. She’s talked to city officials, who she believes are earnest in wanting to address the situation.

Cook is working with a business coach to strategize what she needs to do to bolster her businesses and is considering moving to the Randall Road corridor, she said.

For now, she’s doing what she can to bounce back. The shop is doing a fundraiser where people can buy an eGift Card for use in the store or as a donation.

“Any amount will help us get on our feet, replenish damaged inventory, replace lost revenue and the cash that was stolen from us,” according to a post on the shop’s social media page.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.