When Jim Maynus showed up to work the morning of Oct. 29, he found the glass door to his store smashed open with a rock, and the register till missing.

It wasn’t the first time Champion Grocery Outlet, 1590 Northwest Maple St., had been burglarized, but Maynus said it was still surprising to arrive at work and find it in disarray.

There was no cash in the stolen drawer, but the store suffered about $700 in damages, according to the police report.

“We were kind of lucky, in a way,” said Maynus, one of the store’s owners. “They could have trashed the store and taken all kinds of stuff, but it was just a grab-and-go.”

The incident is just one in a string of burglaries that have hit downtown Issaquah in the past two weeks. Since Oct. 25, six burglaries have been reported at businesses near Front Street and Sunset Way.

Issaquah Police Cmdr. Scott Behrbaum said while frequent burglaries are not common, an occasional surge can be.

“A lot of crimes are cyclic. You’ll have a problem for a while, then solve it and it goes away,” he said. “Or, something else will pop up and it goes away. There are various reasons (for a rash of burglaries), but it sort of comes in waves.”

The crimes all tend to be the “smash and grab” style, he said, where the windows or doors are broken, and any small electronics and cash found are taken. Police have been investigating the crimes, and have issued warnings and crime prevention tips to businesses.

“We do have some investigative leads we’re following up on, and are looking at hopefully some sort of resolution,” Behrbaum said.

Because of its location, Champion Grocery Outlet is not strictly considered among the same string of burglaries as the Front/Sunset crimes, but Behrbaum said it still begs a warning.

Some tips recommended by the police department to keep a business safe from burglary are: lighting all exterior sides of the business, securing access to roofs that may have skylights or air conditioning units, issuing as few keys as possible and keeping a log of all employees who have them, and securing doors with strike plates, pop-out-proof hinges and deadbolts, among other things.

But Behrbaum said the most important step to take is getting to know the neighbors.

“Whether you’re a business or a residence, talk with your neighbors and get to know them,” he said. “That way, everyone keeps an eye out for each other, and you can depend on each other.”

Police emphasize to touch nothing if a business or home is broken into in case latent finger prints can be obtained. For more crime prevention tips, contact the Issaquah Police Department at 837-3200.

Katie Regan can be reached at kregan@issaquahreporter.com or 391-0360, ext. 5052.