More than $50,000 worth of wedding gowns stolen from Houston designer, police searching for suspects
HOUSTON - More than $50,000 worth of wedding gowns were stolen from a local designer over Labor Day weekend. Houston police need your help identifying the suspects.
It happened at the David Peck Boutique on Fountainview and San Felipe around 1 a.m. Friday.
Police say burglars broke in with a sledgehammer and stole more than 20 sample wedding gowns on display. Peck said the thieves also got away with a rack of pajamas.
"They were on opposite sides of the store, so they obviously knew that they wanted those things and went directly for them. They left jewelry untouched, everything else was completely left unvandalized," Peck said.
Most of David Peck’s gowns are custom, hand-made designs with imported fabrics from Europe. Each dress can take up to several weeks to create and retails anywhere from $2,500 to upwards of $10,000.
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"All of the wedding gowns that were in stock on our racks were made by our factory here at the store, so replacing them isn't so easy. Everything from labor to materials. And the most valuable thing that we can’t get back is the time," Peck said.
"There was a dress that went to the Tony awards for someone that was nominated, so there’s a sentimental attachment for some of the things that were taken, not just the monetary value," Peck continued.
With no surveillance video of the perpetrators, authorities are hoping witnesses will come forward with information.
Peck said he'll now be installing surveillance cameras and increasing security measures around the store.
"We’re probably looking between $5,000 to $10,000 minimum to repair what was physically broken and to beef up the security. It seems like in Houston, this is becoming more and more prevalent. We even heard from the people who came to board up the windows in the middle of the night that they’re busy all night, every night, boarding up windows from places that have been broken into," Peck said.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the break-in.
According to witnesses, police say the suspects were possibly driving a black Toyota Tundra truck. If you know anything about this case, please call HPD.