'There Were Shoes All Over The Floor,' Thieves Steal Hundreds Of High-End Sneakers From Lunenberg Store

LUNENBURG (CBS) -- There's a sign out front that says "Closed Until Further Notice" at Getcha Sneakers, after thieves broke into the Lunenberg store after 4:00 a.m. Monday, and took tens of thousand dollars worth of collectible sneakers and high-end clothing.

"It was crazy. There were shoes all over the floor, a lot of glass in the front," said Michael Cortes. He owns the store, which operates like a pawn shop, with a team of people buying, selling, and trading sneakers.

On Monday morning, he found the store ransacked, with boxes and shoes tossed throughout the store.

The front door was shattered with an ax. Video from his security system shows a group dressed head-to-toe in black. They're later seen inside rummaging through shelves.

"They definitely scoped the place out. They were here probably several times," said Cortes.

Behind the store, a security camera shows a getaway car. When police ran the license plate, they discovered it was stolen from Lowell Sunday night.

"These range from like $300 to $400," he said, holding up a pair of Yeezy Adidas. He said about $70,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. "There's a lot of like high-end pieces like Luis Vuitton, Gucci."

They even took a stack of hats with the store logo on them.

For Cortes, it's more than a financial hit; it's personal. He said opening the store less than a year ago was a dream for him. "We all came from nothing. There was a point in time where I was homeless. I didn't have anything, and I started selling shoes, and now I have a shoe store."

For that reason, he says he's made a point of giving back to the community. There's a collection bin at the door for donations to a local food pantry.

The incident leaves him speechless. "I have no words for them. I don't know what I would say to them, so I'll just…let God do his thing," Cortes said.

He's now hoping the community will help him through a GoFundMe account.

He said he's forced to shut down for about a week, just as his first holiday shopping season is starting to get underway.