Looters Destroy Northbrook Family's Business

NORTHBROOK, IL — Northbrook's Dae Oh Yang is heartbroken following the death of George Floyd and the events that have followed. The South Korean immigrant realizes the need for change and supports peaceful protest against injustice in American. Unfortunately, his life's work was destroyed in an instant Sunday when his business was looted in Chicago.

Yang, owner of Venus Fashion in the South Chicago neighborhood since 1995, is trying to put the pieces back together. The clothing store is the main source of income for his family, which moved to Northbrook seven years ago.

"As the face of our household, our father tries to keep calm and move forward, yet we can see his facade slipping as he makes calls and texts to the right people and his employees," said Gloria Yang, Dae Oh's daughter and a recent Glenbrook North High School graduate.

Venus Fashions, like many business across the country, had already been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The owners and staff were excited for Illinois to be entering Phase 3 of its reopening plan and were on the verge of getting back to work. Instead, they're trying to figure out exactly what happened and have begun the process of recovering the business.

"We were able to see videos of groups pulling and tugging at the gate, crawling in and out with boxes and carts of merchandise on social media," Gloria Yang said. "These people were not for the protest. These people came with an intention to destroy his small business."

Gloria Yang decided to start a GoFundMe page to raise funds due to the may unexpected financial burdens and anxieties that have suddenly risen. GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner. She is hoping the money will help restore what has been destroyed and reestablish some normalcy for the family and employees of Venus Fashions.

"The restoration process will take a long time, but hopefully, with these donations we can restore items such as: fixation of broken windows, doors, shelves, racks, display windows, mannequins, merchandise, flooring, cash registers, hangers, and much more," Gloria Yang said. "Whatever amount will be taken in with much gratitude."

The GoFundMe went live Tuesday with a fundraising goal of $400,000. To learn more and contribute, visit https://bit.ly/305gayY.

Venus Fashions is located at 9147 S Commercial Ave., Chicago.

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