Despite the break-in, Curtis Howson says he’s encouraged by the response from the community that his business has received since the incident.
A break-in at a Winnipeg collectibles store has led to thousands of dollars in damages and stolen merchandise, the owner says.
Curtis Howson, who owns First Row Collectibles on Main Street, told Global Winnipeg that the thieves who smashed a window to gain entry to the shop made off with very specific items early Thursday, including some valuable sports and collectible cards.
“They managed to take three binders (of cards) — there was a Pokémon binder, a hockey binder and a basketball binder,” Howson said. According to Howson, each binder contains about 100 pages and each page might be worth $100-150, “so there’s a lot of money in there,” he said.
“It was targeted for sure … they knew exactly what they were looking for. Pokémon has been so popular, I think thieves know that there’s money in it now.”
While the stolen items will hurt the shop’s bottom line, Howson said the cost of replacing the window — and installing shutters to be used when First Row is closed — makes up the bulk of the financial burden.
As for the merchandise itself, he said it’s not likely the thieves — who were captured in security footage — will be able to get far. The circle of people who sell collectibles in Winnipeg is tight, he said, so anyone trying to sell some of the unique items that were stolen last week will raise red flags.
Howson said despite the break-in, he’s encouraged by the response from the community that his business has received since the incident.
“There’s been a lot of community support. We had some friends come out and help me clean everything up. We have such a strong community here — in this area, I have no intentions of moving out of this area despite the theft — there’s people willing to help out.
“We want to strengthen the area.”
Howson said he’s not unsympathetic to whatever situation caused the perpetrators to turn to crime, but as a small business owner, the robbery will definitely make an impact.
“We got taken for a lot of money. It could’ve been a lot worse, but we’re going to take those precautions so that it never happens again.”
1:54
Violent Crime and Retail Theft Initiative to receive an additional 12 officers this spring
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.