Thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stolen from small business owner

SALINAS, Calif. A local small business owner had thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stolen from her early Sunday morning.

Cortez had a pop-up boutique planned for Saturday and later went to a family gathering. She tells KION she parked SUV around their apartment complex at around 9 p.m. and decided to leave the merchandise inside, believing it was safe.

"When I arrived and saw my car. Everything was missing. I had nothing left and it was very tragic," said Cortez.

Since high school, she says she's always wanted to own her own business and quit her full-time job as a caregiver to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions.

"Once I started working full-time and studying. I saved up some money and was able to afford to buy some items to resell and start this boutique and it's devastating to just see it all gone now," said Cortez.

The owner of Peachtree Boutiquee, Ana Lopez, says she lost her inventory in one night. She believes she lost close to $5,000 to $7,000 in merchandise. Police were able to arrest one person but the location of her merchandise remains a mystery.

"There are no other leads... without any information or serial numbers then that sometimes makes it a little difficult," said Commander Lalo Villegas, Salinas Police Department.

For Cortez, the building means much more than just making money but the opportunity to be a role model for young Latinas to be financially independent.

"Sometimes, it's a great opportunity to show our younger generations that it doesn't matter what race you are, you can always pursue what you want," said Cortez.

Cortez will be having a yard sale this Wednesday at the Salinas Sports Complex.