A week after a 2:30 a.m. theft of Christmas ornaments from a Long Beach photography studio, the thieves returned to give the business back what they stole.
“It was as an immediate apology,” said Michael Farmer, owner of f/8 Studios who talked exclusively to NBCLA. “She explained to me that after seeing this on the news, everyone hated her. She said her daughter got beat up at school because of this.”
Farmer talked to NBCLA and local news outlets after the vintage Santa and snowman molds were stolen from the front of his studios off Orange Avenue in the Cal Heights neighborhood.
The studio’s surveillance cameras caught a man and woman disconnecting the molds and stuffing them into their car before speeding away.
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“She said she never done it before and the fact that she did it and got caught, that shows that she shouldn’t do it,” said Farmer, who talked to both thieves who returned Tuesday full of regret. “She asked if I wanted to call the cops,” said Farmer.
Farmer chose not to call the police and instead met with them to retrieve the molds. The man apologized and tried to shake his hand.
“I can’t do that, my handshake means everything to me. I’m not going to shake your hand like you're my friend when you’ve stolen from me and my family,” said Farmer.
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The business owner was admittedly still upset but tried to reconcile what the two did and how he felt.
“I came from a rough upbringing. I didn’t have anything growing up, I was on the streets at 13 and I never stole from anybody,” said Farmer.
The two never told Farmer their names. The woman said she took the molds because they weren’t going to have a Christmas celebration and wanted her daughter to have something special.
“If her daughter wants to come in and have a Santa experience. I will comp her a Santa experience. I want her to come in and have Christmas,” said Farmer.
A Christmas gesture from a photographer who dresses the part. Farmer plays Santa during his studio’s Santa experiences.
Farmer plans to keep the molds inside for now, but plans to display them Thursday night during the Cal Heights Christmas tree lighting.
