A hair salon in West Kelowna, B.C., is recovering after experiencing a significant overnight break-in that left employees shocked and shelves almost empty.
When staff arrived at New Image Hair Salon on Gossett Road Wednesday morning, they found the salon had been ransacked, with large quantities of hair products stolen and glass debris covering the floor.
“It was quite a shock,” co-owner Sydney Koran expressed. “I was home preparing for work when I received six texts from my mom and sister.”
The intruders ignored expensive styling tools and focused on stealing the salon’s professional hair products.
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“Some shampoo bottles cost $150, while even smaller ones can be priced at $48. When adding it all together, the total loss is probably over $10,000 worth of products,” she noted.
Koran and her team regard this theft as a painful loss, particularly given the years of hard work they’ve invested in building their inventory.
“We acquired everything ourselves. It took time to build up our stock. Losing it all at once is a huge blow, and it’s even tougher to restock,” she explained.
The salon has been in operation at the same location for over 30 years, and this incident marks their first significant theft. However, nearby businesses have reported a worrying trend of crime in the area.
Tom Nguyen, the owner of LD Nails nearby, has observed an increase in crime in the area.
“I’m not sure what’s occurring. Westbank seems to be going through a rough patch right now. More police presence would be beneficial,” he remarked.
Nguyen mentioned that his salon has faced multiple break-ins in recent years, primarily through a side door. “They get inside and disable all the cameras,” he added.
Meanwhile, New Image continues its operations as staff strive to move ahead while an RCMP investigation is in progress.
“Our team is fantastic, and we’ve all handled this situation admirably,” Koran stated.
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