Hamilton small business loses entire stock of original Mexican art after van stolen
Artesano Canada left scrambling, asking people to look out for hand-painted art
Two Hamilton small business owners are reeling after a van containing all of their product was stolen from the Locke Street area Monday evening.
Hinanit Glazer and her husband, Oren Harad, run Artesano Canada, a company that imports original art from Mexico.
The couple carries products like intricate, hand-painted clay skulls and ceramic cups with a variety of designs that they sell both online and at local markets.
About $5,000 worth of original art was in their van Monday, which was parked in an alley off Melbourne Street, Glazer told CBC News in an interview.
But when she went outside on Tuesday morning to take her youngest child to daycare, the van was gone, she said.
"It is a major blow," she said. "A big blow."
Glazer and her husband started the company a little under two years ago, and have been working hard while going back and forth to markets in the region, enduring long hours and getting little sleep.
"I don't care about the car … I just don't even know how I can tell the artists in Mexico that all this is gone," she said, estimating that the pair is out about $5,000 to $6,000, which is brutal for a fledgling small business.
"It was everything," she said.
Police confirmed they are investigating the theft, but say there is no security camera footage or witnesses to the crime.
The van is described as a 2006 Dodge Caravan that is a blueish grey in colour.
Glazer is imploring anyone who sees any of their products to contact them, or police.
"We're the only ones selling these in Canada," she said.
"If you see one of these mugs, it's definitely ours."
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