‘Totally bizarre.’ Bogus repairman steals vintage toys from California ice cream shop
Employees at the newly reopened Toy Boat by Jane ice cream shop in San Francisco didn’t pay much attention to the workman in an orange vest Thursday measuring acid-scarred windows for repair.
“In the process of dealing with orders and customers, the staff wasn’t tracking what he was doing,” said owner Amanda Michael, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. “One of my employees said she looked up and realized he had gone.”
Some of the shop’s signature vintage toys — mostly robots and toy Godzillas — were also gone, KGO reported. The bogus repairman had boxed them up and walked out with them.
“And who steals toys from an ice cream store?” Michael asked, Eater SF reported. “And why?”
A week earlier, a vandal had etched the word “seven” into shop windows along Clement Street, including the 38-year-old Toy Boat by Jane, recently purchased by Michael, according to the publication.
Michael, who also owns the Jane the Bakery chain, reopened the shop in September, keeping the previous owner’s toy collection on shelves near the ceiling, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. She called them the “heart and soul” of the shop.
The bogus repairman, who brought a ladder, told employees Michael had called him to repair the vandalized windows, Eater SF reported. He only spent about 10 minutes in the busy shop.
The brazen thief made off with about a quarter of the toy collection, KTVU reported.
“It was a totally bizarre thing that happened — it was clearly something pretty targeted and premeditated,” Michael said, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The toys have no real monetary value, Eater SF reported, making the heist even more inexplicable.
“It’s definitely been a pretty rotten experience, you know, like it’s a bummer to have that happen,” Michael said, KGO reported.
This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 9:13 AM with the headline "‘Totally bizarre.’ Bogus repairman steals vintage toys from California ice cream shop."