From Golden Wheat’s GoFundme

Monsoon added new security doors on 19th Ave E (Image: CHS)

It might feel like there is a rash of broken glass at Capitol Hill and Central District restaurant and shops but, unfortunately, the numbers show it is business as usual this fall for burglars.

Attention has been raised by break-ins targeting favorite area venues including a burglary before the Thanksgiving holiday in which a masked thief busted glass and stole the cash register at Golden Wheat Bakery in the Central District. Fans and neighbors rallied to raise money to help the bakery overcome the break-in.

On Capitol Hill, La Cocina & Cantina suffered a damaging recent burglary that a CHS reader says cost the Broadway favorite thousands in damage and stolen booze.

More than 100 break-ins were reported across the East Precinct in the past 7 days

Ongoing break-ins have gotten bad enough around 19th Ave E’s cluster of small businesses that employees put up a “Pretty please don’t rob us” sign.

Across the street, longtime neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant Monsoon has installed large security gates that roll down to cover its windows at night.

The break-ins targeting businesses are part of a sea of burglary reports in the Seattle Police Department’s data. SPD lumps all burglaries together in its public reporting, mixing home and commercial break-ins.

Altogether, more than 3,700 burglaries were reported across the city in October, the last full month of reporting. Those totals are actually down from the previous two years.

The East Precinct accounted for around 720 of those reports meaning Capitol Hill, Central District, and nearby residents and business owners are reporting around 23 burglaries a day here at this time of year.

For business owners, there is some fortune in the timing. As of November, the city’s annual window for Storefront Repair Fund grant applications is open.

“Applications are open through December 2026, or until funds run out,” the city optimistically notes.

The city fund was replenished with $800,000 after quickly running through millions in previous years. An applicant can request up to $3,000 and yes, they can apply up to three times if there are multiple incidents.

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