A Vancouver wig shop is reeling after someone broke in on Sunday and made off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of hair pieces.
Surveillance video captured the suspect, who appears to be a woman, breaking into the store around 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Jo Hair Studio owner Jessica Jo said many of the wigs were destined for cancer patients.
“The products that we have here, we help a lot of people going through breast cancer, hair loss, alopeica — people who need these products,” said Jo.
“It’s just really heartbreaking.”
Jo estimated the loss at somewhere between $60,000 and $80,000 in product. Vancouver police said the theft was initially reported to them as in the range of $30,000.
Either way, Jo said the thief managed to target the most valuable stock — wigs made form imported European human hair — and may have been in the store before.
“She was very quick and very calculated. Less than four or five minutes, everything is done,” she said. “She brought a big bag and she knew what she was doing.”
Police say the investigation remains in its early stages.
It’s not the first time Vancouver has seen a high-profile wig theft.
In 2018, a notorious “chronic” Vancouver thief made off with about 150 wigs meant for kids with cancer from a store on West Broadway.
He was eventually caught and sentenced to jail time. Some of the wigs were recovered, but none could be used again.
In Jo’s case, she’s hoping the media attention will help get the wigs back intact.
“Just bring it back,” she said. “It’s not for everyone, it’s for someone who really needs it.”
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