Break-in leaves hair extension supply store owner in New Brighton devastated

NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - This is usually the busiest time of the year at Pampered Hair Haven in New Brighton.

But the hair extension supply business is temporarily closed and owner Joyce Iyawe is still cleaning up after a brazen burglary earlier this week.

"Very devastated. Very. Really from the bottom of my heart. Words can't express what I feel right now," said Iyawe.

Iyawe says on Monday night, thieves broke into her shop and stole between $15,000 to $20,000 worth of custom hair extensions and wigs.

Surveillance video shows 3 people busting through the front door and grabbing handfuls of extensions from the wall and stuffing them into bags before running out the back of the store.

"Really bad. Really angry because when people do things like this they don't really know who they are hurting," said Iyawe.

Iyawe says the timing of the crime is what makes it so painful.

She was already dealing with the death of her brother a month ago and had just stocked up for Christmas but the suspects cleaned out nearly all her merchandise, making it almost impossible to re-open for the holidays.

"I'm grateful that this was at night and no one was here, but the brazen way makes me wonder what would have happened if we were here,"  said Iyawe.

Iyawe, who moved to Minnesota from Nigeria 30 years ago, says a similar theft when her store was in Columbia Heights 4 years ago prompted her to move to her current location because she thought it would be safer.

But now she hopes someone can identify the people in the video and call New Brighton police.

"There is more I can do, but this derails me. There's more I can do," said Iyawe.

If you have information about this crime, call New Brighton Police at 651-288-4100.