Businesses faced nearly $5M in property damages since last month’s riots in Portland, according to survey

Click here for updates on this story

    PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — FOX 12 has learned businesses have faced $4,808,099 in property damages since last month’s riots, according to a survey provided by the Portland Business Alliance, then passed on to the city Monday morning.

Add onto that any loss of merchandise, plus not being able to open or reopen, and survey results show an economic loss of $23,215,099 at the very least.

“It was just so shocking,” said Maureen Hofberg. “I had never seen anything like that in Portland.”

Hoffberg is one of the people who took the survey, as co-owner of the store Watchworks.

She told FOX 12 they’ve been located downtown for 30 years and had been back open for just four days before the riots.

“They must’ve bashed the front door seven or eight times, went around to the next window, tried to damage and get in that way,” said Hofberg. “They got to the third window, which isn’t quite a large window and eventually was able to break that window and get in.”

Once inside, Hofberg said looters stole merchandise.

“I would have to think that we are in over the half a million-dollar range for sure,” she said.

According to the survey results, 93 people responded, with almost all business owners answering that they will be able to reopen after the riots, despite the extra challenges.

Hofberg, however, answered no.

“We’re going to be, very, not so out in the open in the future,” she explained.

Moving forward, Hofberg said they’ll rent a suite of offices for private appointments, citing COVID-19 and the riots as the reasoning.

“We’ve had a really lovely, large store front and that just isn’t achievable right now and we kind of, honestly, for the safety of ourselves and the few employees that we hire back, need to really keep a low profile going forward,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Portland Business Alliance made it clear this survey is only a small sampling from people who responded, adding that the total loss for businesses is assumed higher.

“We’ve loved Portland,” said Hofberg. “We love the uniqueness of Portland. You know, we’re torn that we’re not going to be in downtown Portland.”

As for what happens next, FOX 12 was told the survey results were sent to the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management and Prosper Portland. A spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management said they’ll then pass on the information to the mayor’s office.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.