Soft opening, hard luck
<p>Clint Schorzman, right, and his son Jeremy had their jewelry shop broken into early Saturday morning. The new Post Falls business, Edward's Jewelry & Loan, hadn't even had their grand opening yet when the burglar made off with $2,500 worth of inventory.</p>
POST FALLS - All Clint Schorzman was looking to do was supplement his construction income during tough times and provide his son with a job.
Two days after Schorzman opened Edwards Jewelry and Loan in Post Falls, the business was burglarized early Saturday.
"I was totally floored," Schorzman said. "There had only been about five people in the shop."
Schorzman estimates that about $2,500 worth of items, mostly jewelry and coins, were stolen. That doesn't include damage for the broken front window and display cases that were broken with a large rock.
"Luckily I took most of the stuff home that night," he said, adding that his safe for the business wasn't available. "He couldn't break a case with tempered glass. Otherwise, that would have been another $1,000."
Schorzman said he does not have insurance to cover the loss. He wasn't expecting to open the business until Monday, but decided to go with a soft opening last week.
Surveillance video captured what appeared to be a white male about 5-foot-6 wearing a white mask. The burglar threw a rock through the window, left for several minutes, returned and broke into the display cases.
The crime occurred between 3:30 and 4 a.m.
On Thursday night, Schorzman said plywood covering a window in back of the business at 205 E. Seltice Way was broken off, prompting him to install surveillance on Friday.
Schorzman said he has collected and repaired old watches for several years. When gold prices rose, he figured it would be a good business opportunity and a chance to give his son, Jeremy, recently out of the military, a job.
"I'm just trying to make some extra money because I've got kids going to college and the economy is tough," he said. "Jeremy likes the trade so I thought I'd have him run the shop."