‘Nothing Can Stop Us’: Skokie bakery sees community support following smash-and-grab burglary

When Raheleh Zafarmand arrived at work on Tuesday morning, she found the front door to her Skokie business, SheReen Bakery, shattered.

Shards of glass spread across the floor, she hesitated to enter for fear of what may be inside.

After reviewing security cameras, Zafarmand said she and her business partner, Pegah Mahvavian, learned that someone broke into their business around 11:33 p.m. on Monday and walked out with their cash register. They estimated it held less than $100. 

“It’s really sad for us. I’m really shocked because we just built this one with our hearts,” Mahvavian said. “It’s just like a piece of home for us. It’s the only Iranian bakery in the Chicago area, so we just try to provide our culture to the community.”

Yet it wasn’t long after news of the burglary spread that residents and staff from neighboring bakeries visited SheReen Bakery, 3907 W. Howard St., to show support.

Zafarmand said she was still sweeping up glass when one couple insisted that they eat at tables inside.

“I love my job, that’s the first thing that comes to mind,” Zafarmand said, reflecting on all the people who have come to buy pastries since the burglary. “I love it, I love what I’m doing. I love the location, I love the bakery and I love to share this with others.” 

SheReen Bakery opened its first storefront in Skokie in August. The business sells pastries, cookies, cakes and tiramisu using “artisan techniques to bring the true flavors of Tehran shops to your Chicagoland table,” its website says. 

Zafarmand began baking as a hobby in 2021 while working as a supply chain specialist, she said. Instead of returning to the office after pandemic restrictions lifted, she decided to pursue her hobby more seriously and began filling custom orders for events and weddings. 

Mahvavian and Zafarmand have been close friends for more than five years, they said. As Mahvavian studied project management at Northwestern University, she suggested the two scale up Zafarmand’s baking operation into a larger business together.

They then began working out of a commercial bakery fulfilling wholesale orders in November 2025 and entered their brick-and-mortar storefront on Howard Street this summer.

Skokie Police Sgt. Brandi Shelton confirmed via email that police arrived at a business in the 3900 block of Howard Street around 8:44 a.m. on Nov. 2 for a report of an overnight burglary. The police department’s investigation is still active, she wrote.

A security camera inside the shop captured an individual wearing a dark hoodie, pants, gloves and mask shatter the glass pane of the bakery’s front door around 11:33 p.m. 

The individual crouches through the bottom half of the locked door before walking behind the store’s counter and carrying the cash register out under the arm, footage shared with The Record shows. The burglar is inside the store for less than 30 seconds. 

The break in was “scary,” Mahvavian said, because the two often work at the bakery late at night finishing orders. Zafarmand said she was recently working all night finishing an order for a wedding but may try to avoid staying at the shop alone at night moving forward.

All the broken glass is now cleared, and a temporary pane has replaced the hole in the bakery’s front door; though Mahvavian said they’ll have to pay for a more permanent fix. 

Still, the business owners said they are grateful for the community support they have received since the break-in, and don’t plan to let it slow down their operation bringing authentic Iranian baked goods to Skokie and the Chicago-land area. 

“We really appreciate it. We’re good now. You know, nothing can stop us because we are working hard. It’s like a dream for us, so we’re never giving up,” Mahvavian said.

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