For the Owner, the Incident Is Perhaps Indicative of an Environment at the Palisades Village Where Smaller Businesses Are More Vulnerable to Burglary
By Zach Armstrong
Kitson, a lifestyle boutique with a Pacific Palisades location, identified a woman on Instagram after cameras showed her stealing what its owner described as nearly $1,000 worth of Free City clothing items.
Upon entering the Sunset Blvd. shop on March 12 with an Erewhon bag, the woman gave her phone number to the clerk. While he assisted other customers, the woman shoved several unpaid items into the bag and left. The store promptly found her Instagram account by what it described as “some detective work” after reviewing security footage. She was confronted via a DM.
“I am so sorry I did what I did to your store/company. It is selfish, embarrassing and I am ashamed of myself.” the woman messaged the store which screenshotted and posted the exchange on social media. “I will see you at 6 p.m. this evening with the money you are entitled to.”
The woman returned at the promised time and paid the total cost of the merchandise, said Kitson Owner Fraser Ross.
For Ross, the incident is perhaps indicative of an environment at the Palisades Village where smaller businesses are more vulnerable to burglary than their neighbors. While high-end brands enjoy 24/7 security, criminals may feel they’ll endure no consequence if they steal from other stores nearby instead.
“The luxury stores across the street have armed guards strolling the complex across the street which is a deterrent to potential thieves,” said Ross. “If the mom and pop shops across the street had a problem with thieves, would the Caruso security come over and help?”
