Captivated by Petaluma?s small-town charm, Kristin Douglas finally realized her six-year dream by moving her business from Mill Valley last fall ? but she is finding that the outward appearance of the city can be a bit deceiving.
?Everyone thinks that Petaluma is a quaint little town, and that nothing can happen to you here, but we need to start working together better to stop vandalism and other crime,? said Kristin Douglas, the owner of Endless Summer Surf & Skate Shop at 163 Kentucky St. ?As it is, no one wants to say anything about it.?
Douglas has swapped stories with other business owners about downtown vandalism. Her shop was hit by several thieves right after it opened, on Oct. 31.
?Some people just came in and took what they wanted. But we?ve addressed that problem, and it?s not so bad now,? she said.
This summer, however, the store was the target of two break-in attempts. The latest incident was at around midnight on Aug. 12.
?I got a call from ADT Security,? she said. ?They said my alarm was going off due to glass breakage. I rose out of bed with blurry eyes and drove myself 20 minutes from my house to Endless Summer. As I arrived, I witnessed a construction worker standing in front of our large front window, which had been shattered!
?This gentlemen told me that while he was in his truck, directly in front of the store, he witnessed three males run up to the window to try to smash it. He immediately called the police, and the kids took off down the street on their skateboards.?
The man told Douglas that a show had just ended at the nearby Phoenix Theater, and that the boys seemed to have been coming from there. They were wearing hoodies, so he didn?t get a good look at them.
?My feeling toward this is deep sadness,? Douglas said. ?Since I arrived here, I have been exceedingly pleased to be part of such a welcoming community. The people are all friendly, and the streets of downtown are equally inviting.
?I knew this happy town needed a shop like ours! As our main focus is the kids, I wanted a place for them to feel special and invited. I felt that I entered this community with the same hope that I expected to receive, so (the break-in attempt) came as a terrible shock.?
Douglas emphasizes that she is otherwise happy in Petaluma, and has no intention of leaving.
?I wanted to move up here for six years, and I?m committed to staying. The kids are great, and the people aren?t judgmental: They don?t care who you are, or what you look like. I?ve had some great experiences here,? she said.
She has spoken with other shop owners, and found them to be extremely supportive of her desire to address downtown vandalism.
?By supporting each other with our ears, our eyes and our hearts, we can combat crime and vandalism, and hopefully prevent such incidents (as the attempted break-ins) from becoming regular happenstance,? Douglas said.
Claudia O?Flynn Phelps, the owner of The Aesthetic App-roach, at 104 E. Washington St., says that downtown vandalism ?comes in waves: It gets better, and then it gets worse.? She feels that an open, town-hall meeting could help to address the problem.
?Someone would need to chair it, like at City Hall meetings, and (downtown business) people would need to ?put their cards on the table? and identify who is responsible,? she said.
Phelps has been a leader in bringing attention to downtown vandalism, and developing means of addressing it. She has frequently called for more police presence, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights
?I still stay late in my shop on those nights, and keep an eye on things,? she said, adding that many of the troublemakers are inebriated adults, who she has observed spitting, using vulgar language and uprooting plants.
?A couple of months ago, plants put in by a new shop owner were ripped out, and this month, someone tried to pull apart the benches in front of the Petaluma Hotel,? Phelps said.
In 2003, she started the Alley-Kat Watch, involving citizen patrols.
?We would pick one night, or each weekend night, and approach kids,? she said. ?I would start talking with them, saying something such as, ?Hi, how are you doing? What do you think of Petaluma?? The kids got to know us, and things calmed down considerably.
?But one kid asked, ?How do you expect kids to behave when adults come out of bars, mouthing off?? Adults have to set an example.?
She feels more late-night spots would help to curb youth vandalism.
?Some kids really don?t have anything else to do. We have Taco Bell and Lyon?s, but it would help if we had a hamburger and milkshake place,? Phelps said.
(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)
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