Damascus smoke shop owner considers closing after repeated burglaries

DAMASCUS, Md. - As small businesses kick off the most important part of the year for sales, one smoke shop in Montgomery County is considering closing after half a dozen burglaries. 

At the end of the night, when the owners of Stay Lit Smoke Shop lock up, they head home, and instead of going straight to sleep — they watch their security cameras.

"Me or my fiancé is on the ring camera watching it all night long, live in our bed," said Courtney Weber, a co-owner at Stay Lit. 

Since Aug. 6, Weber’s smoke shop on Ridge Road has been broken into at least six times. 

Damascus smoke shop owner Courtney Weber considers closing after repeated burglaries 

The most recent break-in was three weeks ago.

"Honestly, I’ve grown a little numb to it," Weber said. "It’s just happened so many times. I almost can’t feel the sadness or anger when it happens." 

Detectives with the Montgomery County Police Department said that in each of the incidents, a group of two to five people enter the Damascus business, and smash the front door or window to steal products or even the entire register filled with cash. 

"It’s well over a hundred thousand dollars in product [stolen]," Weber said. 

She also has to account for several thousand dollars every time they have to replace the glass, and now, the entire door needs to be fixed. 

Weber said that'll cost about $12,000. 

Detectives believe it’s the same group of people that keep returning. 

"The building has gotten broken into so many times that insurance has dropped us," Weber explained. "I’m losing sales because I don’t have as much on my shelf because I have to replace it every time they come in and steal it." 

She's not sure if she's going to make it through the holidays. 

Anyone who recognizes the suspects is asked to reach out to Montgomery County police.

There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest.