The New York Times-20080127-A Man- a Weapon And a Street on Edge

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A Man, a Weapon And a Street on Edge

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AROUND closing time on dark winter evenings, the boutiques of Broadway are incandescent islands among the fluorescent-lit banks and drugstores of the Upper West Side.

On Monday, two shop owners from the neighborhood stood in the pool of light cast by Bazaar de la Paz, a store at West 101st Street that sells handmade furniture carved from salvaged wood. They were examining a police sketch taped to the door.

All the women store owners are talking to each other, said Karin Alexis, who owns an eponymous baby-clothing store near West 97th Street.

Ms. Alexis is among the Upper West Side store owners who have lately been rattled by a series of robberies. According to the police, since Nov. 15, six shops on Broadway between 97th and 113th Streets have been robbed, apparently by the same person.

One of the businesses, an Aerosoles store at 113th Street, was robbed twice. In most cases, a woman was working the counter alone at the time of the robbery.

I'm like, 'Work out your issues with your mother someplace else?' said Carole Puzone, the owner of Bazaar de la Paz, who was behind the counter when the store was robbed on Jan. 2.

Ms. Puzone said that an older man with an accent entered the store about 6 p.m., pulled out a gun and forced her to empty the cash register.

He was very calm, Ms. Puzone said.

She declined to disclose how much cash was taken, but she said, It was just after Christmas, so there was more money around than usual.

On Thursday, the Police Department released a sketch of the suspect, along with a statement describing him as a Hispanic man 45 to 55 years old and about 5 feet 4 inches tall.

Many local store owners said they were struck by the robber's brazenness.

He's roaming around, no mask, no nothing, Ms. Puzone said, leaning against a case of Colombian necklaces and earrings hand-carved from nuts. He's blending in.

On Monday evening, she was outside her store waiting for workers who were to install a security camera. She had considered, but rejected, the idea of installing a buzz-in lock. Such a device was not her style.

Who wouldn't I buzz in? she said. And even if I were going to keep somebody out, it wouldn't be this guy. He looked like a professor.

[Illustration]PHOTO: He was very calm, Carole Puzone said of the person who held up her store. (PHOTOGRAPH BY PATRICK ANDRADE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)