CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Some of the vendors at a local consignment shop say they're owed money.
That while they paid their monthly rent, they have not been paid for their merchandise, which was sold at the shop.
In fact, the business is under new ownership.
The Troubleshooters asked the owner at the center of this dispute for an interview a week ago.
He said he would call us back. He has not.
On July 20, a notice was placed on the front door of the business at 4315 South Alameda.
The locks were being changed due to non-payment of rent. At that time, the business was called Vintage Vibe. Their lease was terminated three days later.
The business is now under a new name and new ownership.
The new owners are not in any way part of this story.
Aaron Goldstein is a vendor.
"It's kind of like a consignment shop where you take in your product, your merchandise, your items. Whenever your items are sold, in addition to paying rent for the space, the booths, or the case, a 10 percent reduction from the amount of sale is taken out of the proceeds from each individual owners' items that were sold," he said.
On Aug. 13, the Troubleshooters were invited to a meeting where Goldstein and several other vendors shared their claims that the owners of Vintage Vibe, still owe them money for merchandise sold at the shop.
Taryn Kretschmer is a vendor and employee.
"So when we got notification of what we paid, or what we made, he was still deducting the rent, even tho he hadn't been paying the rent. He defaulted on the rent," Kretschmer said.
In this email, dated July 27, from Vintage Vibes owner Ivan Leal to the vendors, Leal wrote "I'm still waiting on my loan and I promise to pay each and everyone what they are rightfully owed."
And later..."Im (sic) honest person and true to my word."
In this document, from the Precinct One Place One Court, dated Aug. 16, Leal asks the court that the plaintiff in this case, Jose Arman Soria, a vendor, recover nothing by way of suit, and that the defendant recover court costs.
The Troubleshooters spoke with Ivan Leal by phone on Monday, Aug. 22.
We asked for an interview to get his side of this story.
He said he would call us back the next day. He did not, and has not called us back.
"He kept asking for another week, another week, until it turned into about a month, and then he just ghosted us. He stopped responding to texts. He stopped responding to written responses," Kretschmer said.
On Aug. 8, Goldstein filed a police report claiming theft. He claims Leal owes him more than $2,100.
Again, this is for his merchandise, which was sold at the shop.
Kretschmer claims she's owed more than $1,600.
Goldstein puts the cumulative amount owed to the vendors at approximately $28,000.
Kretschmer told the Troubleshooters that as an employee, she wants Leal held accountable.
"Do you want him to do time?" we asked.
"That would be wonderful. It was theft. It was theft. He stole from us," they said.
