SEATTLE — A barrage of break-ins in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood has business owners seeking help from the city as they worry the problem is only getting worse. According to the Seattle Police Department’s Crime Dashboard, Wallingford has already seen 65 burglaries this year, compared to 32 in 2025.
“But not everybody calls the police when something happens. So, it’s going to be skewed,” The Sock Monster owner Kelly Tremaine said.
The Sock Monster was broken into on April 11. Video shows a woman walking up to the entrance of the store, smashing the glass wide open. The woman made off with all sorts of products as well as cash and multiple computers.
“Which was the weird part is because she didn’t just take everything. She took either a majority or some. And seemed very specific,” Tremaine said.
The damage to the entrance of the store forced the shop to close for a week. Tremaine says one of her employees created a GoFundMe for help and within the first 3 days, it raised over $5,000.
“I’m really truly touched. It is so heartwarming to know how many people really truly care in this neighborhood,” Tremaine said.
Tremaine says she’s been talking with other business owners in the neighborhood who have also dealt with multiple break-ins in recent weeks.
“And other business owners reaching out to me and letting me know that it had happened to them,” Tremaine said.
KIRO 7 has also covered multiple break-ins in other neighborhoods like Magnolia, where business owners are also calling on the city for help.
“Going to the city and asking them for police intervention here,” one business owner said.
KIRO 7 reached out to SPD for comment on the rise in break-ins and we are still waiting for that response. So in the meantime, Tremaine says businesses throughout the neighborhood are united.
“Maybe we can all come together as businesses and chip in on private security to just go up and down the street,” Tremaine said.
She and other businesses look to move forward one step at a time.
“That’s the motto. Keep on swimming,” Tremaine said.
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