PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Montavilla Sewing Centers in Southeast Portland is speaking out after the business’s HVAC units have been stripped of parts five times in the last four months, leaving the store without heat and the business down more than $100,000.
The most recent incident happened early Friday morning, and the suspects were caught on camera.
A still image from security footage from the roof of Montavilla Sewing Centers in Southeast Portland shows someone approaching the camera and then moving it to point in another direction early Friday morning, Jan. 16, 2026. The business owner would discover that his HVAC units shown here in the background would be stripped of parts. (Montavilla Sewing Centers)
Security footage showed two individuals using a ladder at around 1:15 a.m. to climb onto the roof while one individual stayed in a car.
The two suspects on the roof used unidentifiable tools to cut open the fence surrounding two HVAC units, then stripped the units of wire and parts.
However, the suspects did not leave the scene until around 7 a.m., after their car required a jump-start from another vehicle. A Portland police officer was seen on camera driving by during the jump-start but did not appear to suspect anything from the two cars.
Brett Moore, president of Montavilla Sewing Centers, said each HVAC unit costs around $25,000 to replace.
“I’m frustrated because this is a very expensive operation,” Moore said. “I mean, it’s a lot going on here.”
Moore tells KATU that after the first two times the HVACs were stripped, they took additional security measures to try and make it harder for potential theft to occur, including dog kennels to surround the HVAC units, security cameras around the perimeter of the building and the roof, as well as trip wires.
He also says this is the first time in the 76 years the store has been around that an HVAC has been vandalized.
“I’m frustrated to the point where I just want to leave the city,” Moore said. “I have five locations outside the city of Portland, so I don’t have to be in the city of Portland.”
Moore also said these situations are putting him at risk of losing insurance, but the last thing he wants to do is give up in the area.
“Our store is named Montavilla Sewing Centers. The name is from this area. This is where we got our start,” Moore said. “I feel like attached to this area because Montavilla has been a part of my life, my whole entire life I’ve been here. I’ve lived in Portland my whole life and our store’s been here for that long, so I don’t want to, I really don’t want to leave this area, but I’m considering all options.”
Brett Moore, president of Montavilla Sewing Centers, approaches a destroyed HVAC unit atop his businesses roof. Thieves have repeatedly stripped parts from the units at Moore’s business. (Jennifer Singh/KATU)
According to Moore and Neil Mattson, president of the Montavilla East Tabor Business Association, Montavilla Sewing Center is not the only business in the area being hit by these types of crimes.
Mattson tells KATU at least seven businesses along Southeast Stark Street, including Montavilla Sewing Center, have had their HVAC units vandalized since mid-September.
“It’s very unsettling,” Mattson said. “It feels like, you know, you don’t know if it’s gonna happen again tonight, so what we’re asking businesses to do is to stay vigilant. We’re working on some ways for us to stay connected and communicate quickly that something’s going on and trying to have direct channel of police so that we can get them out here when we need them.”
A spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau tells KATU police are actively investigating Friday morning’s theft and are aware of past incidents as well as other businesses that have been victimized.
“We cannot say if the same suspect or suspects are responsible for all of these thefts, but certainly officers are considering that possibility given the similarity in method of operation,” the spokesperson said.
Moore believes the thieves are stripping the HVAC units for copper wire to resell.
Mattson tells KATU these incidents have a ripple effect.
“It takes everybody who’s running a business off their primary goal,” Mattson said. “Your day-to-day job is, you know, supporting employees, supporting customers, serving customers, and this is a total distraction. It’s the immediate impact of cost of the incident and whether or not they can insure their business, because the insurance companies actually draw a line when you’ve been hit a few times.”
He went on to say, “It could impact whether businesses survive or not and we start losing businesses in our community. That’s jobs and that’s livability for our whole neighborhood, and we pride ourselves for having a really livable area, really like a welcoming community and a lot of great businesses.”
Mattson and Moore are asking anyone with information about Friday morning’s theft or any of the other incidents to contact the Portland Police Bureau.
They are also asking the community to continue to support local businesses.
“A lot is at stake,” Mattson said. “Those kinds of costs, when it’s totaling, you know, tens of thousands of dollars, it becomes almost impossible to operate if the business, if you have to incur those kinds of costs.”
