An Oakland beauty salon owner is trying to figure out her next step after a devastating theft.
Security footage showed how quickly thieves broke into Crystal Franklin’s car, stealing tens of thousands of dollars and other precious property, just blocks away from her Montclair salon.
You can see a person jumping out of a white Jaguar SUV, looking into Franklin’s back seat window, and then breaking it and stealing two bags carrying $40,000 and other items
“When I really think about it, it tears me to pieces,” she said.
Franklin owns Paparazzi Beauty Bar in Oakland's Montclair neighborhood. She said she had stopped briefly at a nearby Starbucks on Mountain Boulevard last Tuesday on her way to deposit the cash and that’s when her car was broken into.
Moments later the camera shows her collapsing as she realizes what just happened.
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“This was the entire savings from the first year, every single dollar. That’s how I knew how much it was because I counted it to make sure I set it up perfectly so we could start to build,” said Franklin.
The thieves also stole thousands of dollars in hair. The business owner moved to Montclair from East Oakland in 2021 after 14 years and said it’s not just the money —it’s the priceless possessions.
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Including a book manuscript on her laptop and journals detailing decades of business and future plans she said can’t be replaced.
“Other things that could have set my business up for growth is also lost,” she said. “And I'm just devastated.”
Residents in the area say car break-ins are becoming all too common in a neighborhood that used to see very little crime.
“Daily, regularly, I just parked by Starbucks there and as I pulled in I could see glass in the street,” said Montclair resident Erin Newman. “We have had three smash and grabs even when we haven’t left anything in our cars.”
As Oakland police investigate, Franklin said she can now only offer limited services. A GoFundMe has been set up to help recover from what was lost.
A setback she hopes wont stop her business from succeeding.
“It’s like a domino effect. Someone has knocked down my whole set of dominos down,” said Franklin.
