Downtown Rochester Jewelry Store Owner Vows to Put Robbery Behind Her

Three weeks after closing her much-loved downtown Rochester jewelry store to recover from an armed robbery, Pamela Krampf is feeling positive — and ready for a party.

The experience was "horrible ... bad ... awful," Krampf said. It was proof that bad things happen to good people. But she's determined to move forward. In fact, it's part of Krampf's mantra: if you get knocked down, you get right back up again.

"I want to put behind us all of the ugliness," said Krampf, owner of Antiques and Fine Jewerly by Pamela. She was busy this week putting the finishing touches on her store's holiday decor, which features an elaborate window display with a "Santa's Workshop" theme.

"I am ready to celebrate life."

Pamela's will reopen today — Small Business Saturday — from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an open-house-style party; all longtime fans and first-time customers are invited. 

Aftermath of a robbery

On the morning of Friday, Nov. 2, three men walked into Pamela's store on Main Street. One employee was alone working in the store; the men bound her with duct tape and held her at gunpoint while they stole what police say was "a large quantity of jewelry" from two display cases in the store.

Rochester Police detectives are busy investigating the case. (Anyone with information is urged to contact Rochester Police at 248-651-9621.) It was the second jewelry store robbery this year in downtown Rochester. 

Meanwhile, Krampf said her employee is "safe" and doing all right; she will be at the party today, Krampf said. 

"I'm so grateful for all of the support we have had from people," Krampf said. 

Keeping downtown safe

Krampf said she wants something positive to come of the robbery: she wants there to be a renewed awareness in keeping downtown streets safe.

"This should be a wake-up call," she said. "People need to stop saying 'I can't believe this happened in Rochester.'"

In the aftermath of the robbery, Krampf is urging city leaders to seriously consider the installation of surveillance cameras in downtown streets and alleys. Even though Pamela's has what Krampf considers a "state-of-the-art" surveillance system, she said a downtown camera system would have helped track the thieves after they left her store.

"Big Brother needs to be watching," she said. 

In the meantime, Krampf invites the general public to come downtown today and support local businesses. 

"I'm moving on," she said. "We're back in business again."