ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A clothing store in a DeKalb County mall may close its doors after thousands of dollars worth of merchandise was stolen in a break-in over the weekend.

“How frustrating is that? It’s really frustrating,” said store manager and co-owner Jackie Graves. “Everyone here at the mall is struggling, but we all still love the mall.”

Graves’ business, Impress By Lavish, was robbed over the weekend at the Gallery at South DeKalb, formerly known as South DeKalb Mall.

“It wasn’t until we got to work that we learned there had been a break-in,” Graves said.

The end result was thousands of dollars worth of stolen items and a new glass door.

Venetia Lewis hosted a back-to-school event here on Saturday morning.

“The South DeKalb Mall has always been my favorite mall because of the prices,” Lewis said.

But both Graves and Lewis can see beyond their doors.

Their section of the mall is almost empty. They say homelessness and crime have increased over the years.

“There’s nothing left for people to shop on this side of town,” Lewis said.

Graves is considering closing the business or moving to a new location.

“I don’t want to drive 45 minutes to another mall nearby,” Graves admitted.

In the short term, the store is conducting a clearance sale to reduce its inventory.

Because while they cannot control the outside, what happens next inside is in their hands.

“We’ll fix it,” Lewis said. “We’ll get everything sorted out.”

All rights reserved.