An armed robbery at the 'N Style Hip-Hop Shop on Friday night was the last straw for the failing business - it closed up shop this past weekend. The owners lost $22,000 in cash from the store when two Latino men in their early twenties threatened the manager with a semi-automatic pistol and ordered him into a back bathroom before taking off with the cash.
The store, located in the Shoreview Shopping Center on Norfolk Street, sells hip-hop clothing, mostly to Latino youth in the area. The manager closed the store Friday evening and was counting the day's cash when two Latino youth in their early 20's knocked on the door, according to the San Mateo Police Department.
The manager put the money away, and opened the door to the suspects, who asked to come in and browse around the store. The suspects then pointed a pistol at the manager and threatened to shoot him before striking the manager across the face with the barrel of the pistol.
The suspects demanded money from the register and ordered the manager to the rear bathroom before fleeing. The manager reported the robbery to the police 20 minutes later, according to police accounts of the incident.
The owners of the store, who are from Phoenix and Arizona, said the business has been floundering since it started up 10 months ago.
They said they have had trouble finding a good manager, business has been slow, and the robbery turned out to be more than they could take. "Forget it San Mateo. We can't afford to stay here. Forget it," said one owner, who wouldn't give his name.
They are moving back to Arizona, and now have to find someone to take the lease on the store space which they signed for three years. They are hoping that the robbery will not deter interest in the space.
The police department is trying to locate and identify the suspects.
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