Mother-daughter's 2nd clothing store in Oakland hit by burglar

OAKLAND, Calif. - A mother and daughter's clothing store in Oakland's Rockridge District was broken into early Tuesday, weeks after their other store in the city was burglarized on Easter Sunday.

"It's sad. I feel like we are in a lawless city," Brenda Sheree Taylor as she surveyed the damage at Taylor Jay on College Avenue. "This is our second break-in, in a matter of less than two months."

The latest break-in happened at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, an hour after sunrise, when a man used a crowbar to shatter the glass on the front-door window. The intruder made two trips to a car parked out front, carrying clothes, including men's wear.

On March 31, another man stole $20,000 in merchandise - and luggage - at their store at 24th and Broadway in Oakland.

"It's a lot. We're tired, you know?  We love it here, and thankfully the community supports us tremendously, but like how much more support do we ask for?" Taylor asked.

She and her mother, Taylor Jay, pride themselves on selling hand-made designs to women of all lifestyles, sizes and body shapes. They worked hard to open two stores in Oakland, where they've had to cope with crime. 

This one-two punch of burglaries at their shops is almost too much to bear. 

"Please stop! We're a small business, it's a mother-daughter, it's my mom and I," Taylor said.

Her mother said, "The fact that we're just trying to be here and to thrive, but we all just seem to be trying to survive."

Jay said the two men in the break-ins are different and it's unclear if the same crew is responsible. But she says she feels they're being targeted.

"It's a complete violation for one, I mean, it's already really hard doing business in Oakland because of all the theft, the break-ins and the crime. People are just already very nervous, just not comfortable coming outside, period."

Her daughter agreed, saying, "It's hard to sustain a comfortable lifestyle if someone is just coming in and taking, taking, taking from us."

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan