Newly opened shop in West Seattle Junction rammed for second time in just days

SEATTLE — In the latest in a rash of smash-and-grab burglaries across Seattle, a shoe and clothing store was damaged when a van slammed into it early Monday.

“Rush Hour” is located in the heart of the West Seattle Junction on California Avenue Southwest. The store had just opened over the summer and specializes in buying, selling, and trading sneakers, streetwear, and vintage items.

When our news crew arrived, police were still at the scene, a minivan that hit the building was being towed away, and the owners of the store were cleaning up and assessing the damage.

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Rush Hour West Seattle hit in smash-and-grab Rush Hour had just opened over the summer but was hit by smash-and-grab burglars on Friday, Nov. 17, and Monday, Nov. 20. (KIRO 7 News)

They said they couldn’t yet tell if anything was stolen other than a “Rush Hour” movie VHS videotape.

“I’d hate to say they didn’t take much because they took something. They’re putting a dent in what business needs to be done, what we need to have the shop flowing. Everything is valuable to me in the shop. This is something we built from the ground up,” said Key, who was at the mangled store Monday morning.

And Monday’s smash-and-grab wasn’t the first to happen at the store. It was also intentionally hit by a car on Friday.

“Someone stole a Kia, ran into the shop, typical. It’s been happening a lot lately, unfortunately, happened to our business which we just started a couple of months ago,” said Key.

A video on the store’s Instagram page showed the damage to the building.

After that setback, part of the building was boarded up, but now there’s new damage to repair and the owners are picking up the pieces again.

It is unclear if any arrests were made.

We’re working to get more information about the crime.

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