PORTLAND, Ore. — Vinyl Resting Place was broken into twice in the span of a few days. The owner said it was the same burglar who did it both times and he helped take them into custody.
The first burglary happened early Thursday morning. Steve Cook, who owns the North Portland record store, got a call that his front door was shattered.
"The front door was busted out," Cook said. "I could tell the (point of sale) system had been yanked out."
Cook said the burglar walked away with the cash register and all the money that was inside. He estimates it was about $5,000 dollars.
"That wasn't even my money," Cook said. "I had sold that stuff on consignment for somebody else, which was the hard part, telling them, not only was I burglarized but I lost your money."
As he cleaned up the damage, Cook said he was faced with the cost of repairing the door and paying back the thousands of dollars that were stolen.
“I was ready to quit because it was such a hard hit," Cook said.
Vinyl Resting Place has operated for over 20 years and Cook has been at the helm for the past two. He said it's not about the money; he doesn't make a lot of that. He said the business is a labor of love. After dozens of messages from family and friends, and support from local business owners, Cook decided to push forward.
Then, the store was burglarized a second time Sunday morning. Cook said it was the same person, caught on surveillance camera twice with the same backpack. This time, the front window was broken. Shards of glass covered the inside of his store. Cook and his son spent the day vacuuming.
“I could tell immediately that a lot of the records were all thrashed and damaged," Cook said. "It wasn't until later when we started cleaning up that I realized, 'Oh, they took the computer'."
But he said there wasn't much time to process the frustration and sadness of the second break in. Cook heard some commotion down the street.
“(I) walked over and immediately, I recognized the person," Cook said. "I was like, 'That’s the guy that did it'.”
Cook called 911 but he wasn't sure dispatch was going to send an officer. That's when he and another local business owner jumped in a car and followed the burglar. They flagged down some officers who then made an arrest.
“It was just kind of like, 'Oh we're jumping into action because there he is,” Cook said.
Duwayne Erickson, 37, was arrested and facing two counts of burglary in the second degree and possession of burglary tools.
An arrest doesn't solve all of Cook's problems; he's still out thousands of dollars. However, he's grateful for all in the St. Johns neighborhood who are supporting him.
“I’m just taking this day by day at this point," Cook said. “Everybody’s got your back. I love the community here."
For now, plywood covers the store front. Cook said he hopes to be back open before Wednesday, as the store is holding a Kacey Musgraves listening session. It's a chance to listen the artist's new record, "Deeper Well," before the official release and an opportunity for the community to support the record shop.
UPDATE (March 18, 2024): A GoFundMe campaign to help the record store has raised $7,000 so far. "How does one put it into words? I'm so fortunate to be surrounded with such great friends, fellow business owners, customers and support from the community," said store owner Steve Cook. "Some of the stories that people have shared with me have been truly special."