Thieves hits bookstore twice

WASILLA — For the second time in eight days, thieves struck a Valley bookstore Wednesday.

Pandemonium Booksellers and Café, on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway extension has only been in business since June, said Shannon Cullip, 39, who owns the store with her husband Leny (CQ) and their business partner Rex Weltz.

“The police kind of took it personally because they’d driven through the parking lot twice that night. They couldn’t believe it,” Cullip said of Wednesday’s break-in.

The thieves struck sometime around 3 in the morning, according to Wasilla Police. They chucked a rock through a drive-through window and took $200 from the till.

Still, despite the expense to repair the window, it could’ve been worse, Cullip said.

“They didn’t get a tenth of what they got the first time so we’re learning lessons. Next time they won’t get anything,”

Also, both times there wasn’t much damage done. The rock that went through the window also damaged a picture, Cullip said, but otherwise only the till was touched.

She said police have told her that, from the looks of it, the break-ins might have been drug related.

“They just wanted money they didn’t want anything else.”

The first burglary was on March 10. Cullip called that one in, according to the police report. Police say video surveillance was in use at the time. Cullip said this second-go round they also got some fingerprints.

She said she wasn’t sure if the two break-ins were related. Some things were the same. Some were different. After the first burglary, she said, police found a back door unlocked. Cullip said she talked to the two employees who’d closed up that night. One had locked the door, the other had checked to make sure.

Cullip said she’s not sure what to think — was it a former employee? Someone who knew a former employee?

“We tend to like to think the best of people and tend to be more on the trusting side,” Cullip said.

But, after the break-ins, she said, “We have put a lot of stuff into place, a lot of steps into place security-wise.”

Still, she said, the burglaries were disheartening. They’ve made the tough job of getting the bookstore off the ground even tougher. But she’s gotten some support from the community.

“Then you have all the customers that are very supportive. ‘We’ll stay here all night with you. We’ll get them.’ We appreciate that support.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.