Old Post Office Antiques Fitzroy North: Owner Frank Grulli vows to apprehend would be thieves

An “elderly” Melbourne antique dealer has vowed to whack thieves with his walking stick if it meant protecting himself and his shop from crime.

An “elderly” inner city antique dealer has vowed to apprehend crooks and hand them on a platter to police if that what it took to protect his shop from targeted thefts.

Old Post Office Antiques Fitzroy North owner Frank Grulli said his “blood was boiling” after a “scumbag” thief targeted his store and stole a rare 140-year-old chair.

The suspected thief stole the 19th century English mahogany gentleman’s chair just after 230pm on Sunday afternoon.

CCTV footage of the alleged heist shows the suspect case the antique store, place a bottle on a table, peer inside the shop, play with his hair, look around then pick up the chair and flee.

Mr Grulli, 74, and his wife Cathy have run their St Georges Rd antique store for 40 years but he said the heist was a “real kick in the guts” following multiple thefts in the past 12 months.

The energetic couple are still working hard doing valuations and buying estates to ensure their customers are well looked after despite the setbacks.

“We totally love what we do to be still working in our mid-seventies but things like this (theft) certainly take a bit of the glamour away,” he said.

“The value of the chair is irrelevant … It’s the principle.

“This has got to be the worst act … stealing from elderly workers still working hard to make a living at the shop we have run in the same spot for approximately 40 years.

“This scumbag committed an intrusive crime … what sort of world do we live in when a hardworking family run business has to put up with this.”

Old Post Office Antiques Fitzroy North owners Frank and Cathy Grulli. Supplied.

Mr Grulli said he is considering implementing costly security measures including upgrading CCTV.

In the meantime, the first-generation Italian self-employed Fitzroy North resident of 65 years will be on full alert for “any future thief”.

“I’ll be ready and waiting for them,” Mr Grulli said.

“If they come to my store to steal then I’ll be prepared to do what I can to protect my business.

“If that means sticking up for myself and apprehending the thief until police arrive then so be it

“I’ll whack em with my antique walking stick if I have to because I have to right to defend myself if things get hairy.”

Mr Grulli praised neighbouring businesses – including a wine bar – which aided in his investigation to snare the alleged chair thief.

However, Mr Grulli was ‘disappointed” the council-run library directly opposite his store refused to help.

A suspect wanted in the alleged theft of rare chair from Old Post Office Antiques Fitzroy North.

Mr Grulli said library CCTV cameras were perfectly placed to capture where the suspected crook slipped away to.

“I could’ve seen where he went, did he get into a car, did he walk to a nearby flat, he was wearing a lanyard with a name tag,” he said.

“Maybe I could’ve identified him but the guy at the library refused to let me look at the footage.

“I couldn’t believe it, I’d just been robbed and they wouldn’t help … I just told him ‘you’re a fellow trader and this is not very neighbourly’ and I left.”

Mr Grulli, who reported the theft to police, hoped investigators had better luck getting the footage from the library.

“The cops were very good, they contacted me shortly after I made the first report,” he said.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the theft was under investigation.

“Officers have a number of active inquiries to make in relation to the person involved,” the spokesperson said.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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