Miami Beach Store Owner Takes To Social Media To Oust Thieves

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MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – A small business owner took to social media to oust the thieves that ran off with a designer bag costing thousands of dollars at her Miami Beach store.

Consign of the Times owner Carin Kirby said thieves are targeting several high-end stores on Miami Beach.

Kirby said a man and a woman, acting as shoppers at her high-end clothing consignment store on West Avenue, took off with a purse.

"It was a very rare bag," explained Kirby. "It's a Chanel Boy Bag. They retail in the store for $5,200.  It was in mint condition. That's the type of thing that they're gonna take somewhere else and try to cash out on."

Kirby said the man distracted the employee at the back of the store with questions about shoes.

The woman stayed up front and within minutes ran out the door with the Chanel bag. Then the man ran out, too.

Kirby filed a police report, and then started spreading the word on social media.

"We have the serial number. I know exactly which bag it was," Kirby told CBS4 reporter Donna Rapado. "The thing about this particular group is that they're very bold."

She believes the same people continue to watch her store, actually returning a few times since the theft.

"We've stopped them at the door and either told them we weren't open yet or we were closing early, and sent them on their way," she said.

Rapado spoke to some high end stores on nearby Lincoln Road where managers said the same thing is happening there.

A newly hired security guard now keeps an eye out at the retail-garage building on Lincoln Road at Alton Road.

"We always stay vigilant. But in a local neighborhood you'd like to think that's not gonna happen. And unfortunately, we learned the hard way that it does," Kirby said.