INUVIK - Index Clothing store on Mackenzie Road was broken into and Mac's Newsstand just down the road was vandalized early Friday morning.

The front door of Index was smashed and the Plexiglas covering the inside door was removed.

Index Clothing store co-owner Barb Memogana stands by the damaged door to her business on Saturday, the day after it was broken into. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

Barb Memogana, Index co-owner, said she estimated between $2,000 and $3,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from the property, along with about $40 to $60 stolen from the till.

Memogana said she was shocked when notified by the police later in the morning.

"How could this happen on Mackenzie Road?" she said. "It's so unbelievable. Why didn't anybody see it? It's right on the main road.

Memogana, who took over ownership of the shop a month ago, said several shirts bearing images of Bob Marley and Tupac Shakur were among the merchandise stolen. Despite the loss she said she plans to keep the business open and make another clothing order.

This is the second time in less than a year that the business has been broken into.

Employees of Newsstand on Berger Street arrived at work Friday and found a pane of glass on one of the front entrance doors had been smashed.

Store owner Peter Carrington said he thinks it was an attempted break-in, and the would-be thieves were thwarted by the inside layer of virtually indestructible bulletproof glass.

He said such incidents come with the territory.

"It's always happened and it's always going to happen," he said. "People get drunk and they think it's a cool thing to do."

He said he didn't even bother to call the police.

"What's the point? The police aren't going to do anything anyway. We have so many break-ins here and nothing is ever done about it."

Staff Sgt. Cliff McKay of the Inuvik RCMP said both cases are under investigation. Although officers are working with a few leads, he said the public may be able to offer more clues.

He said the detachment hasn't responded to many break-ins recently. As of yet investigators are not sure whether the two Friday morning incidents are connected.