By HOI ABC and Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – Like so many other small businesses, 2020 can’t end fast enough for owners of Read’s Sporting Goods in Bloomington.
Sometime between closing time on Sunday and early Monday morning, a burglar or burglars pried open the back door to the store at 812 IAA Drive and “wiped out” the entire stock of high-end baseball and softball gloves, co-owner Bill Read told our news partner HOI ABC.
Also taken were baseball bats, cash, and some personal items, said Read.
The burglary caps a year in which business has slowed significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Read’s was one of the businesses vandalized by looters during civil unrest in June.
“We are like so many other small businesses, we thrive off of sports, and starting in March, baseball, softball, track, all of that stuff was canceled. That is our livelihood,” Read told WJBC’s Doc Watson.
The popular establishment’s latest misfortune and their customers’ desire to help the business became a topic on social media Tuesday.
The director of the Bloomington-Normal Baseball Association (BNBA), Paul Thompson, said in a post that Read’s is one of the organization’s “most loyal and long-time” sponsors.
“Normally, a business such as Read’s could recover quickly, but as we all have experienced, 2020 has not been normal,” said Thompson.
He’s urging members to buy baseball gear or gift cards from Read’s to help out.
“A member of our BNBA family has experienced yet another distressing setback. If you are able, please help to life another up, to ease their burden,” Thompson said.
“It really has been overwhelming a little bit,” Read told Doc Watson. “I’m the fourth generation and this is what I grew up in. I know Bloomington-Normal has changed over the years, but I think anybody who is a little bit older probably bought something here or we serviced their school or their team. We are part of the community and we love Bloomington-Normal.”
Meanwhile, Bloomington Police confirmed they are investigating the break-in, but there have been no arrests. Anyone with information is asked to call BPD at 309-820-8888.
WJBC News can be reached at [email protected]
