Seattle wedding dress shop burglarized, dresses stolen

SEATTLE — The owner of a custom-made wedding dress shop in Seattle’s Crown Hill neighborhood was broken into Wednesday night.

She said that they not only stole a lot of electronic devices but also took away about 20 wedding dresses that she was changing for the brides.

Madison Leiren is the owner of Leiren Designs and says she has worked in Seattle for over a decade as a designer. She moved into her boutique in Crown Hill nearly two years ago to secure a permanent location for her custom wedding dress business.

“For me, every day is the most exciting day of my life because this is my dream job,” says Leiren. “To be able to really be a fashion designer and do that and help people.”

But this week was different. She said someone drilled through the lock of her front door Wednesday night to break in. She has alarms that go off if the windows are broken, but they don’t break any windows. She checked with nearby businesses to see if they had video surveillance.

She said the financial impacts are devastating as a small business owner.

“This is the annual revenue that comes in overnight,” says Leiren.

But her biggest worry is that the brides have run out of ao dai. The stolen dresses are the ones she is modifying. She said that she would do everything in her power to ensure that the brides would wear dresses on their wedding day. She is still in the process of contacting the bride.

“I can’t imagine being a bride getting one of those calls,” Leiren said. “Like, sure, as a business owner, I’m going to be emotionally drained, but the bride comes first.”

She was disappointed with the police response. She said that when she went to work on Thursday, she called 911 and was told to call the non-emergency line. She said she was put on hold several times and once had to wait 45 minutes and the call timed out. She said she filled out an online report and spoke to an officer on the phone who said someone would be on the scene, but that didn’t happen until about 30 hours later.

“I’m not saying I expect the police to show up to the man in handcuffs and say, hey, he’s the one who did it, but just come and check and just confirm a small business,” said Leiren. speak.

She said the police didn’t get any evidence, it was an abandoned hammer, and she said the police told her it was hard for them to track down who did this.

KING 5 has reached out to Seattle police, who do not comment directly on the situation, but when asked for general advice for business owners, they said the following:

“Keep calling 911 for your emergencies. We’re data-driven, so when 911 calls are made, it helps to know what crimes are happening and when they’re happening, which allows the department to use better raw. Although we have lost more than 500 officers over the past few years, we continue to respond to calls as quickly as possible and investigate to hold the perpetrators accountable. There are reporting options such as non-emergency and or online if police presence is not required. Alternatively, use the resources provided such as the Crime Prevention Coordinator in their area. Each has a response area for businesses and other locations to provide safety and security tips for the crimes they are facing.”

Leiren lost her photo portfolio on her hard drive and laptop, which she was supposed to use for her business’ biggest event of the year.

“Well, there’s the Seattle Wedding Show, happening this weekend, and here’s my chance to showcase my portfolio to brides looking for something they can’t find on a hanger,” Leiren said. .

She is now gearing up for the wedding show this weekend, working with the police and insurance so that even on the most difficult day, she can still help the brides on their special day.

“From the moment a bride walks in the door here, I want to exceed expectations and I will continue to do so in any way I can,” says Leiren.

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