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UPDATE: Downtown Vernon skate shop reopens following break-in

Okanagan Skate Co. closed Tuesday due to break and enter
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A skate shop in downtown Vernon reopened Wednesday after being targeted by thieves the day before.

Okanagan Skate Co. posted an update to Instagram with a photo of smashed glass at the 30th Avenue business Tuesday, Jan. 18.

“Closed due to a break and enter. My apologies for the inconvenience,” the post reads.

It’s far from the first time the skate shop has dealt with vandalism and break-ins.

In 2019, owner Steven (Bryce) Wach relocated to the Alpine Centre on Kalamalka Road after experiencing several break-ins, a suspicious fire and more than $40,000 in stolen merchandise in five years on 30th Avenue.

“How can anyone stay downtown and economically do business when these are things that are happening?” Wach asked in a video he shared to social media in December 2019.

Wach has since moved the store back into the downtown core.

READ MORE: Mailboxes targeted by thieves in the North Okanagan

READ MORE: RCMP interrupt Kelowna woman amid alleged Vernon theft


Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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