DC area experiencing increase in retail theft. For small stores, it’s not just business — it’s personal

Joanne Wunderly got a dreaded call one morning two years ago that there had been a break-in at her Manassas, Virginia, store and the burglar made off with the cash register. Not only was the register gone, so was the cash box, the week’s deposit, and some jewelry that she sells in her store The Things I Love. “I think I was more angry than anything,” Wunderly said. “I’ve worked so hard, and we all do as small businesses … and you walk in and somebody just thinks they have the right to come in and just take whatever they want from your personal space.”