DOWAGIAC — When Dylan Gatties, 22, of Eau Claire, opened The Vape Saloon in downtown Dowagiac a little more than a year ago, he did not expect to be closing its doors so soon.

On Aug. 20, Gatties announced on the business’ since deleted Facebook page that the store, located at 226 S. Front St., would be permanently closed after an unknown subject broke in and stole products.

The Dowagiac Police Department received a call from Gatties at around 12:23 p.m. on Aug. 20 to report a breaking and entering. Officers responded to the scene and dusted for fingerprints, but police currently have no suspects, the department said. The case is still under investigation. 

Gatties said someone broke in through the back window after shattering the glass. There was no video camera footage, so how the person entered, specifically, remains unclear, he said.

Gatties said he has reason to believe it was someone local after pictures of his stolen products were featured on locally on the photo sharing app Snapchat.

“I know for sure it’s mine,” Gatties said. “It was only stuff sold in California. It sounds like it could be a customer of mine who knew the layout of the store.”

This is not the first time Gatties has dealt with burglaries. Last October, he said an employee stole from him after knowing the layout of the store.

Between the two burglaries, Gatties said he has had more than $20,000 worth of product stolen.

Gatties said this time around he has another source of income. Recently, he bought the Digital Vapor Den in St. Joseph.

“It’s a vape shop that has been open for seven years now,” he said. “It holds a good reputation.”

Gatties said the shop closing is still a huge hit to his family and that not only did they lose something they created, but an employee Gatties hired to work at the store also lost his job.

When Gatties was initially searching for a location for The Vape Saloon, Dowagiac had seemed like the perfect fit.

“I thought it was a nice small town,” he said. “I had never heard of a whole lot of crime going on there.”

Gatties, who lived in St. Joseph but attended high school in Dowagiac, referred to the town as his “adopted hometown.”

“It’s definitely frustrating,” he said. “I can’t continue business out there at this point. I don’t want to keep restocking it for people to [steal things].”

One thing Gatties will miss the most is his loyal customers.

“A lot of the customers out there weren’t just customers,” Gatties said. “They became close friends. Some of them I would consider family at this point. The people that were great, were great.”

Now, Gatties will focus on owning and operating the Digital Vapor Den. He is also seeking out a new location for a shop similar to The Vape Saloon. Gatties confirmed his new store will not be located in Dowagiac. 

“The new place can’t be disclosed yet,” he said. “My plans are within the next few months to have the same thing opened up in a different location.”