Fury after repeat Aussie dress shop robberies over ten years apart

A dress shop owner has gone AWOL after a spate of bad luck that left empty-handed suburban mums and daughters seeking answers.

A dress shop owner has gone AWOL after a spate of bad luck that has left empty-handed suburban Melbourne mums and daughters seeking answers.

First opened in Avondale Heights in 2014, before eventually moving to the corner of Amis Crescent and Milleara road in Keilor East where it is now located, the Addison Rose dress shop has spent the past 11 years working to ensure that its customers “have the best possible experience,” according to its website.

Photos of smiling young women in fabulous ball gowns and elegant formal dresses adorn the store’s social media pages, but on March 4, when, without warning, Addison Rose abruptly shut its doors – a note in the window informing would-be customers the store would be closed “for the next too (sic) weeks.”

Days later, on March 11, the note would be replaced by a second printed letter stating the store was robbed on March 5.

Street view of the Addison Rose storefront. Picture: Google

A note taped to the inside of Addison Rose's shop claiming the store will be closed "for the next too weeks." Picture: Facebook

A week later, on March 11, the note was replaced by a second printed letter, which stated the store was robbed on March 5.

A disclaimer on the store’s homepage alleges not one, but two break-ins “in recent months”.

“For safety reasons, the store is temporarily closed and all affected parties will receive the necessary support in due course,” the new message read.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the alleged March 5 incident.

A Facebook user takes a photo of a second note placed in the window of Addison Rose – a disclaimer that alleges the store was robbed. Picture: Facebook

But while no information could be found about an initial robbery from “recent months,” a Herald Sun article from June 2015 suggests Addison Rose and its owner Jessica Arzanov have endured a terrible string of bad luck spanning nearly a decade.

It reported 60 wedding dresses worth roughly $30,000 were allegedly pinched by thieves who broke in using a brick, according to the article which was published just eight months after the shop first opened its doors.

Victoria Police confirmed that an arrest had been made and charges laid in relation to the 2015 robbery.

Ms Arzanov poses for a picture with her remaining dresses in one of the original Avondale Heights stores. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano

At one point, Addison Rose occupied two storefronts on Military Road at its original location in Avondale Heights. Picture: Google

News.com.au reached out to Victoria police, who provided a brief statement on the matter.

“Police were called to an address in Amis Crescent, Keilor East about 1.45pm on 5 March after an alleged burglary. No one was in the business at the time and the investigation into the incident is ongoing,” it said.

For reference, 1.45pm on March 5 is the day after the Addison Rose dress shop first shut its doors and was in the middle of working hours on a Wednesday afternoon.

A concerned parent, who did not wish to be named, spoke of her experience with Addison Rose.

“In July last year, my daughter and I went in there and she tried on a couple of dresses, found one – absolutely loved it. When we first went, nobody was at the store, so I called the number and Jess answered,” the parent said.

“I was going to pay a deposit, and she asked me if I wanted to pay for it in full … I said ‘well I’ll just pay for it and then it’s out of the way and I don’t have to worry about it,” she said.

“From there, she said to get into contact with her in February, and I did, and I was told that her grandfather had passed away. So I made an appointment for March 9, but then I started hearing all these things about what had happened – what people were going through at the time.”

The parent expressed frustration at what she alleges was a complete lack of communication from the store.

An alternative view shows the Addison Rose title card on top of the Keilor East store entrance. Picture: Google

“So I tried to contact her again, she wasn’t answering my messages, my emails, nothing. I could not get through to her. I made a dummy booking to try on a dress, hoping that she would turn up. We went there, and I called, and then she said that she’s been advised by the police not to go to the store, that the store had been broken into … the glass at the front had been kicked and cracked,” she said

“It’s been a nightmare.”

The shop’s Instagram account for the business has recently disappeared.

The only phone number available across the store’s pages can be found on Facebook, but that number has since been disconnected.

Another phone number was tracked down, but after repeated attempts at making contact, nobody replied.

News.com.au also tried the company email address for comment but has not received any response.

Arzanov’s other business ‘forcibly deregistered’ in 2024

After looking into the details of the store’s owner Ms Arzanov – news.com.au uncovered information received from Creditor Watch which showed Ms Arzanov registered a business named AJCM PTY LTD in 2016.

The Addison Rose website promises a satisfying dress-shopping experience. Picture: Supplied

Her name isn’t featured anywhere in the document, but its location is registered in the same postcode – Keilor East, 2033 – as the dress shop.

It, like Addison Rose, was classified as a retail business.

In 2022, a business loan specialist called Prospa Advance initiated court action against AJCM to the tune of $63,138.

Ms Arzanov’s business became insolvent in 2024 and was forcibly deregistered by ASIC in August last year.

Addison Rose remains registered.

Originally published as Fury after repeat Aussie dress shop robberies over ten years apart