Photolab holds 'break-in sale' after crash-and-grab burglary
"I was very determined not to let this get us down," manager Melissa Smith said Tuesday in an exclusive interview.
A burglary crew rammed its way inside a longtime Berkeley photo shop over the weekend on the same block where a popular camera store was burglarized in similar fashion in recent weeks.
In the days since, Berkeley Photolab announced a "break-in sale" offering discounts on shop services as it works to get back to business as usual.
"Everyone was pretty shocked," said Photolab manager Melissa Smith. "We just try to stay positive and stay open for our customers, who have been so supportive. It's a tight-knit community. We're just glad to be here and provide the services that everyone needs."
Smith said she was asleep Saturday when the alarm company called her sometime after 3 a.m. about suspicious activity at the shop, which is located at 2235 Fifth St. near Bancroft Way.
She pulled up the store cameras remotely and soon saw four people in masks and hoodies running around inside looking for things to take. The shop doesn't have much merchandise, so there wasn't much for them to steal.
"They were in and out in under a minute," Smith said.
In the hours that followed, Smith met up with Berkeley police and learned that the crew had used a vehicle to ram its way inside, damaging the front wall of the Photolab building as well as the doorframe.
Smith said it was the third break-in at the store in about a decade, since she began working at the shop. The prior incidents took place before the pandemic.
This latest one was the worst, she said.
For the most part, the West Berkeley block where Photolab is located tends to be quiet and safe, she said, although the recent burglary at Looking Glass Photo had left everyone shaken.
Smith said she'd also heard about other photo shops that had been hit recently, and that Berkeley police were taking the investigation seriously.
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"They are actively looking for these people," she said. "There have been so many crimes committed, they are giving it some attention."
Smith said shop staff and the landlord had worked hard Saturday morning to make sure Photolab was open for customers at the usual time.
"I was very determined not to let this get us down or be a huge deterrent. This is not gonna stop us," she said. "Right at 10 o'clock, we were open for business Saturday after it happened."
Over the weekend, Photolab shared the news of the break-in on its Instagram page, which generated a strong response from several hundred customers and other supporters.
The idea for the "break-in sale," which will run through at least Saturday, arose as customers asked what they could do to help the business in the aftermath of the burglary.
Photolab didn't launch an official fundraiser, but Smith said using the store's services, which include not only photo prints but also mail-order services and more, is the best way to offer support.
"It just helps us as a small business to keep going," she said.
Smith said it had taken some time to realize the extent of the losses and that she is still in the process of filing an insurance claim.
The burglary, she said, had been somewhat demoralizing, particularly since it was taking time away from core store services.
"We'd rather spend our time working on people's artwork than filling out paperwork," she said.
In the end, she said, her main feeling was one of relief — that no one was hurt and that the burglars hadn't done more damage.
"It could have been a lot worse," she said, "if they had come in and smashed everything."
For now, the store is using a temporary entrance through the parking lot at 2231 Fifth St. for customer access.
Smith said Photolab's landlord had already taken some preventive measures, installing large boulders and yellow bollards in front of the building to make it harder for people to drive onto the sidewalk.
And she said she thought the front door and other damage would soon be fixed.
Smith said she is still working to repot some of the plants that had decorated the entrance to the business for years.
The burglars shattered some of the large pots when they rammed the building but, so far, the plants themselves had survived.
She said a Photolab customer had been caring for the plants on her own for several years, adding to the collection and watering the plants "out of the kindness of her heart."
"Our people who come here, we love them and they love us," Smith said. "We do our best to take care of the good, solid community that we have."
Emilie Raguso
She also noted that one silver lining of the burglary had been that the damage had stopped just short of the Photolab art gallery, which is currently featuring the work of longtime owner Andrea McLaughlin.
McLaughlin died last year at age 72 after a battle with breast cancer.
Smith said installing the show to honor McLaughlin in time for the one-year anniversary of her death had been emotional, and that seeing the artwork survive the break-in unscathed had been a huge relief.
"The way the wall bent up, if it had just gone a few more inches, it would have [done more damage]," Smith said. "It's kind of amazing."
The gallery show will remain on display in the coming month to honor McLaughlin's legacy.
Photolab opened in 1970 and was originally on Alcatraz Avenue when McLaughlin began working there, eventually taking over the shop in 1981. She moved Photolab to its current location on Fifth Street in 1994.
Learn more about Photolab Berkeley on its website and Instagram. The shop is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
