$90K worth of jewelry stolen from Manotick store, owner says

A Manotick business has been left stunned as thieves made off with $90,000 worth of jewelry.

A Manotick business has been left stunned as thieves made off with $90,000 worth of jewelry.

Anneka Bakker, owner of One World Bazaar says she came into her store on the morning of Sept. 30 to find her jewelry room had been raided the night before. One-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry had been swiped both from the glass case, and in storage bins below. She says -- in all--  3,000 pieces were taken. 

"It was pretty shocking to be totally honest," said Bakker in an interview with CTV News Ottawa Friday. "They came through and emptied all of these (plastic storage bins), which would have been pretty full into their bags."

One World Bazaar -- located at 6110 Mitch Owens Rd -- is celebrating 20 years in business, and has never seen anything like this, says Bakker.

She says they focused on the most expensive jewelry pieces in the store, ranging up to hundreds of dollars each, and were in and out in mere minutes.

"As a small business owner, when all of our revenue is concentrated into a two-month period, it is certainly stressing to say the least," she said. "Because there's not really that flexibility to make up for this at a later point in time."

One World Bazaar features unique goods from small artists from around the world. The items taken were gemstones brought in from places like Mexico, Indonesia, and India, and Bakker says they represent countless hours of work by both One World staff and the artists who they purchase from. For her, it's not about the money.