JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A year ago Sabrina Watson purchased a children's clothing store in Orange Park, then the coronavirus happened.
The store, Once Upon A Time, was forced to close for six weeks and its 15 workers were laid off. Now, the store is reopened, with certain restrictions on capacity and social distancing guidelines.
On Tuesday, a couple came into the store and walked around loading up their shopping cart.
"It was full to the top," Watson said.
She knows because it was captured on the store's security cameras. After being closed for more than a month Watson is glad to have customers in the store.
"It is a little slower than normal which is what we anticipated," she said.
Slower but they were prepared, the business was flowing and the staff was back to work.
"They knew the staff was occupied," Watson said.
The couple in the video appeared to be regular shoppers until they got to the front door.
In the security video, you see the couple stop at the front door to examine a baby swing. First the man, then the woman.
After a few minutes, the duo walked out of the store with the swing and shopping cart full of merchandise.
"This was really disappointing," Watson said."For this to happen it felt like a gut punch."
She estimated they absconded with hundreds of dollars of merchandise. On Thursday, she filed a complaint with Jacksonville's Sheriff's Office but she is not too optimistic.
Watson is not sure of the couple's identity and she didn't get their vehicles tag number all she knows is that they drove off in a white SUV.
"They may have had a need [but] I wished they had asked rather than steal what is not theirs," she said.
On the store's Facebook page customers expressed their outrage.
Watson released images from the incident and is now asking the community for its help identifying the couple. At the minimum, Watson would like the shoplifters to return the stolen items.
Anyone with information is asked to call the store or the sheriff's office at 904-630-0500