Millburn Store Owner Says Storm Blew Out His Windows

MILLBURN, NJ — Maybe they should take a page out of the cult classic movie “Clerks” and get a tin of shoe polish to make a sign reading: “I assure you, we’re open!”

If you pass by the Sneaker Factory on Millburn Avenue and see their smashed window, don’t worry. It wasn’t a crime and the store isn’t going anywhere, its owner told Patch on Friday.

“Yesterday I was contacted by the Millburn police responding to an alarm," Michael Conforti said. "Their investigation revealed that high winds blew in our front display window which is been in place since the 1940s... It's a pretty big mess, and I don't want customers to inadvertently think that we're closed."

Conforti told Patch that police notified him around 8:20 p.m. that the alarm was going off in the Sneaker Factory’s Millburn location.

After examining video surveillance footage, an investigating detective determined that high winds during Thursday’s storm blew out the windows, Conforti said.

• See related article: Snowstorm Rocks Essex County: How Were Your Town's Schools, Roads Impacted?

“It’s never good to have anything like this happen, however it is our slowest month so it is great that we can work on these repairs and that there were no customers in the store when this happened,” Conforti said.

The repair process should take approximately two weeks, during which time the store will remain open, he added.

Conforti thanked the Millburn police and fire departments for the “incredible work they did,” including securing the store and making temporary repairs.

Photos courtesy of Michael Conforti

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com