![\"Andres](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789615269_742_7f80c78e-353f-4c2e-838e-7fbe893dfa94_1721668549.png\")
<\/a>SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014<\/p>\nA Sacramento comic book store remains open after a burglar smashed through its front door and stole hundreds of dollars\u2019 worth of merchandise early Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
The cost of repairing Empire\u2019s Comics Vault will likely far exceed the value of the stolen items, store owner Ben C. Schwartz told KCRA 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just unfortunately a cost of doing business,\u201d Schwartz said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that happens. It\u2019s something that you have to take into account when it happens. You just kind of have to steady yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surveillance video shared with KCRA shows the intruder entering the store and heading behind the counter. Schwartz said the person initially appeared to search for cash before grabbing merchandise.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked behind the counter, went for cash, and he doesn\u2019t know what to do,\u201d Schwartz said while reviewing the video. \u201cSo he\u2019s going to come over here and grab some stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
The burglary lasted less than 90 seconds, according to Schwartz. He said the intruder began moving faster after the store\u2019s alarm activated, filled a bag with an abundance of merchandise, and ran away.<\/p>\n
Schwartz estimates that replacing the damaged entrance could cost between $1,500 and $2,500, depending on the type of replacement selected. He said he plans to install a stronger door.<\/p>\n
The burglary is the latest in a series of similar incidents at the store.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is probably the fifth time that we\u2019ve had this happen to us here,\u201d Schwartz said.<\/p>\n
KCRA previously interviewed Schwartz after a break-in at the business in 2021.<\/p>\n
Schwartz has operated Empire\u2019s Comics Vault for more than 24 years, creating a space where customers can browse comics, seek recommendations and spend time with the store\u2019s resident pugs.<\/p>\n
Customer Erich W. said the burglary felt personal because of the relationships Schwartz has built with patrons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoy coming here and seeing Ben,\u201d Erich said. \u201cSometimes I need him to recommend something. Sometimes I need him to hold something for me. So it\u2019s definitely, this time, it\u2019s personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customers began visiting the store Wednesday through its boarded-up entrance after learning about the burglary, Schwartz said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur community outreach \u2014 when I told everybody about it \u2014 unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had people coming in this morning and picking up stuff. So it\u2019s been great. The comic community in Sacramento, it\u2019s just second to none. They\u2019re absolutely amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The store is secure and will remain open while Schwartz waits for new glass and a permanent replacement door.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento County Sheriff\u2019s Office is searching for the person responsible.<\/p>\n
See more coverage of top California stories here<\/a> | Subscribe to our morning newsletter<\/a> | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sacramento comic book store remains open after burglar steals merchandise, damages front door SACRAMENTO, Calif. \u2014 A Sacramento…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466310,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[14852,21105,3484,72839,766,387,183618,183620,1750,9182,74057,183619,17906,84679,473,767,240,2667,121,183621,6769,123,122,116519,826],"class_list":["post-466309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-andres-valle","tag-arden","tag-break-in","tag-burglar","tag-burglary","tag-business","tag-comic-book-store","tag-comics-vault","tag-cost","tag-customer","tag-empire","tag-empires-comics-vault","tag-fifth-time","tag-front-door","tag-kcra","tag-local-business","tag-merchandise","tag-morning","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-comic-book-store","tag-sacramento-county-sheriffs-office","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-schwartz","tag-store"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}