Cotopaxi Closes San Francisco Store After Multiple Break-Ins
Caroline Downey, National Review, October 18, 2022
Active wear brand Cotopaxi is closing its San Francisco store because of repeated break-ins and rampant crime in the area, the founder and CEO confirmed Tuesday.
“As of today, we are closing the store due to rampant organized theft and lack of safety for our team,” Davis Smith wrote of the San Francisco location. “Our store is hit by organized theft rings several times per week. They brazenly enter the store and grab thousands of dollars of product and walk out.”
He said the outdoor-clothing company, which is considered a competitor of Patagonia, opened a retail shop a year ago in what was once known as a “charming shopping district just blocks away from the famous Full House home.” Within a week of opening, the store’s windows were smashed and thousands of dollars of merchandise were stolen, he said. After the window was replaced, violent thieves returned and broke it four more times, forcing the store to replace it with plywood pending the installation of a metal security gate.
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“Our team is terrified. They feel unsafe. Security guards don’t help because these theft rings know that security guards won’t/can’t stop them. It’s impossible for a retail store to operate in these circumstances, especially when cities refuse to take any action (despite us paying taxes well above any other state we operate in),” he said.
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In his statement, Smith uploaded pictures of the damaged exterior of the shop on Hayes street. Having grown up in Latin America, Smith said he “never felt this unsafe there.”
“It’s sad, but San Francisco appears to have descended into a city of chaos. {snip}” he said.
