Al's Sporting Goods Reopens In Wilmington After Being Heavily Damaged By Looters In May

WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- More than 50 days since it was ransacked by looters, iconic Al's Sporting Goods is reopening on Market Street in Wilmington. The 85-year-old store was heavily damaged on May 30 during the unrest that followed George Floyd's death.

The store says it lost more than $275,000 dollars in merchandise.

More than 5,000 pairs of sneakers were either stolen or ruined. They incurred even more costs due to damaged windows and doors.

They've been cleaning up and getting ready to reopen ever since.

"There was a line of people outside this morning waiting to come in. It's just really great to see the outpour of support we have got from the community," said team sales representative Joe Yeager. "The Sunday after all this happened, people were coming up with brooms and dustpans offering to help. It was really heartfelt."

"I was told that they weren't going to open up ever again and that would've been sad," one customer said.

The company's team sales really kept the business going while the retail store was closed.