Katybird, a high-end secondhand clothing and accessories consignment store in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood, was burglarized in the early hours of October 3. Owner Katie Coleman said the suspect entered through an iron gate connected to an adjacent apartment, used a utility knife to cut through the drywall, and then squeezed through the narrow gap between the wall's support frames into the store, leaving a hole about 3 feet (90 cm) high in the wall. Stolen items included handbags, shoes, dresses, and scarves, with losses amounting to thousands of dollars.

Key Points

  • The incident occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on October 3 at Katybird, a high-end consignment store in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood.
  • The suspect broke through the wall to enter the store, creating a wall hole about 90 cm high, and stole handbags, shoes, dresses, scarves, and more, with losses in the thousands of dollars.
  • The store has been burglarized four times in less than 10 years since opening; this was the first time at its new location after relocating. The owner had installed an iron gate but still could not prevent the wall breach.

A colleague who opened the store that morning first discovered the damage to one of the walls and then notified Coleman. Coleman said the suspect did not take nearby high-priced goods, and only one of the Louboutin high heels, known for their red soles, was stolen; the suspect did not take scarves separately but instead tried to drag a large decorative ladder used for hanging scarves out through the wall hole.

Coleman has contacted each consignor who had entrusted items to the store one by one to explain the situation, and said she would bear the costs herself to avoid losses for the consignors. She suspects that a man who briefly entered the store the day before the incident may have been the suspect—a young white man with brown hair who looked around the store for about 30 seconds before leaving.

The store has been open for less than 10 years and has already been burglarized four times, but this was the first time at its new location after relocating. Coleman had previously installed large metal security gates on the windows and entrances and reinforced them with thick bicycle locks, but still could not stop the break-in through the wall. She also said that filing an insurance claim could lead the insurance company to terminate her contract, leaving her deeply concerned. Even amid the losses, Coleman still joked with customers and kept the store open as usual, saying that coming to the store to look at the merchandise is a way to support the shop.

Source: 시애틀 점포에 벽 뚫고 들어온 절도범, 수천 달러 물품 훔쳐가 · Originally published on 2026-10-04