Designer Revival, a high-end Upper East Side consignment shop selling pre-owned Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and other brand names, has been a regular target of shoplifters, late-night smash and grabs, an…
nypost.com
Thieves target high-end consignment store in Upper East Side
By
Griffin Kelly and
Melissa Klein
May 7, 2022 9:37am
Updated
Designer Revival sells pre-owned Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and other brand names. Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
Brazen thieves are not just targeting the
Big Apple’s luxury retailers — they’re stealing used designer duds as well.
Designer Revival, a high-end Upper East Side consignment shop selling pre-owned Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and other brand names, has been a regular target of shoplifters, late-night smash and grabs, and credit card fraudsters, according to its fed-up owner, Tiffany Keriakos, who said crime is putting her business in jeopardy.
Just last month, a crook paid for $25,000 worth of items with a stolen credit card, and the store’s insurance wouldn’t cover the losses, Keriakos said.
And at 3:30 a.m. on March 30, three burglars broke the padlock on security shutters with bolt cutters, smashed the glass front door and made off with $30,785 worth of designer handbags in a matter of 30 seconds, according to police and security footage.
Other thieves defiantly enter the shop on East 81st Street off Second Avenue during business hours. One made off with a $1,500 Gucci handbag under his winter jacket in December and returned in January to do the same thing.
But an eagle-eyed worker spotted him and alerted a colleague, Nora Hatch.
Keriakos said she is worried the thefts will eventually put Designer Revival out of business.Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
“At first, I was just trying to be nice and open the door for him, but then my co-worker said, ‘Stop him!’ so I grabbed him and pulled him backward down the stairs,” Hatch said. “I was able to get the bags and throw them back in the store.”
The same man astonishingly returned in April, slipping a handbag under his coat.
Designer Revival owner Tiffany Keriakos said the store has lost almost $150,000 worth of merchandise in the past two years.Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
This time, store manager Katrina Feil called 911 as she followed the recidivist out the door. She trailed him for 10 blocks and said she tried asking two police officers on the street for assistance, but they told her to wait for the 911 responders.
“They didn’t walk with me. They just stood there and acted like I was crazy,” she said. “I get it. They’re busy. That’s fine. But it was very disappointing to say the least.”
Security footage captured thieves breaking into the store on March 30.Designer Revival
In February, police busted two men tied to a 2019 robbery at the store. During that heist, two men posing as shoppers asked to see merchandise in a display case, then sprayed an employee in the face with pepper spray before fleeing with four Chanel bags worth about $16,000, police said.
Consignment stores
in Soho and on
Madison Avenue have also been hit in recent months.
Keriakos and Feil said they are worried the thefts will eventually put Designer Revival out of business.
The store has been a regular target of shoplifters, late-night smash and grabs, and credit card fraudsters.Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
“I’m on my third insurance company because of claims I’ve had to submit over the last seven years of owning this store,” Keriakos said. “In the past two years, we’ve lost almost $150,000 worth of merchandise.”
Since Designer Revival is a consignment store, it doesn’t technically own any of the items in the shop. Whenever a piece is sold, both the store and the consignor make money.
Employee Nora Hatch (pictured) has witnessed theft at the store firsthand.Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
One thief made off with a $1,500 Gucci handbag under his winter jacket in December and returned in January to do the same thing.Griffin Kelly/N.Y.Post
Feil said break ins and shoplifting have cost some clients.
“People want to feel safe when they bring their very valuable items to the store, so if they think their items are going to be taken, that can make us look untrustworthy,” she said. “On the flip side, we’ve gotten a lot of support from consignors and some new consignors who just know that getting broken into is part of having a store in New York City and have brought us more inventory.”