Gary Baur knows the truth of the adage that one man's loss is another man's gain.
"You know, it's sad to say, because it's happened," said Baur, owner of Lincoln Auto Salvage and a partner in Warehouse Discount Outlet, which advertises "recovered merchandise from L.A. riots."Co-owner Carl Jensen and Baur buy goods from insurance companies dealing with lost, damaged or otherwise misdirected merchandise.
"It's all I've done all my life," said Baur. "If there's something from a flood or a hurricane, we buy it."
In this case, the partners packed up goods damaged at a Montgomery Ward outlet in Hawthorne, Calif.
"We had quite a bit of damage," said store manager Jim Horgain. Widespread riots were sparked by the April 29 acquittals of four white police officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King.
Looters had run through the store, knocking items to the floor and damaging or soiling some, said Jensen, who vividly recalls the many 20-foot brick walls topped by razor ribbon to protect L.A. businesses.
Even after Jensen and Baur had packed up a number of items, looters returned and made off with about $10,000 worth of electronics, he said.