Two women seen on surveillance allegedly stealing nearly $200 in merchandise Tuesday evening from Small Town Style Boutique in Waterloo have been identified, according to owner Kimberly Luke.

Waterloo police are investigating the incident. Luke posted on Facebook that the women are potentially connected to five other such thefts from businesses in the area.

The two women, whom she described as a mother and daughter, came into the store at 6:19 p.m. Tuesday, and after picking up some merchandise the younger woman went into a dressing room. About 10 minutes later the older woman left. When the younger woman came out of the dressing room, she hurried out the door and into the waiting car of the older woman and left.

Luke posted a plea to the women Tuesday night on Facebook to return the merchandise by noon Wednesday to avoid getting police involved. When that didn’t happen, Luke contacted the WPD and released photos of the women from surveillance cameras in the store.

“I gave them the opportunity to come forward on their own, to return the items. I will not be taken advantage of. I will not be stolen from,” Luke said. “This store is my baby and I will not allow for someone to rip me off.”

The store owner’s post has been shared more than 2,000 times on Facebook. The shop is located at 211 Bradford Lane.

Luke was thankful for all the assistance she received from the public, including sharing her post with their images more than 2,000 times.

“I just want to send a thank you to everyone who shared our post yesterday regarding the theft that took place in the boutique on Tuesday evening,” she said. “The women have been identified. We appreciate all the leads from fellow store owners/managers, family and friends of the pair. We know it wasn’t easy to come forward, but we truly appreciate it more than you know!”