HOUSTON – Burglaries across Houston may be trending down in 2025, but for some small business owners, the numbers don’t reflect their reality. After two popular Houston bakeries were broken into the same night, their owners say they’re now questioning whether neighborhood shops are being targeted again.
Allan Hursig, owner of The Bearded Baker in the Heights, was jolted awake in the middle of the night on Thursday, not by a call or a text, but surveillance footage of burglars making a beeline for his cash register.
“It was just like you’ve got to be kidding me. Again? And now?” Hursig said.
It was the fourth time his bakery had been broken into.
“I don’t know if they’re hitting bakeries, small businesses. I don’t know if economy is pushing people to go back to this, cause when we were hit earlier, it was around COVID times,” Hursig said.
The break-in came at an especially difficult time. Hursig was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer and started chemotherapy just one day before the burglary.
“I try to look at the positive because it doesn’t bring me down as much,” he said.
Still, he admits the break-in added another layer of stress at a time he’s already fighting through so much.
The Bearded Baker wasn’t the only shop targeted that night. About 25 minutes away in West University Place, Michael’s Cookie Jar was burglarized just an hour later, and a safe containing about $250 was taken.
“I think they’re connected, definitely, they’re wearing the same clothes. And you can tell their builds are very similar, so yeah definitely,” Savino said.
Both owners provided information to the Houston Police Department to help determine for sure whether the cases are connected.
Citywide data tells a different story than what these owners are living. Burglaries across Houston are down about 20% this year compared to last year. In the Heights, they’re down about 6%.
But for Savino, the statistics don’t match what he’s seeing on the ground.
“I mean in our plaza, there’s been one or two break-ins this past week,” he said.
Both owners are now asking whether small businesses are being targeted again, similar to what happened during the pandemic.
Now, both owners say they’re changing security protocols and daily routines, hoping it’s enough to keep them from becoming targets again. For Savino, that includes going cashless.
Because even if the numbers show burglaries are falling, they say it only takes one break-in to change how safe a business feels.