Twelve artists selling their creations at POP Montreal's arts and crafts market on the weekend are out thousands of dollars after someone swiped their goods after Puces POP locked up for the night.

Amy Johnson, director of Puces POP, said about $25,000 worth of goods was stolen, along with the business cards of the artists targeted.

"It feels terrible — you don't think people are going to steal things made by artisans, made by hand, and you especially don't think they're going to do it in a church basement," she said.

Johnson said they locked up at Église Saint-Denis on Rivard Street on Friday night.

You don't think people are going to steal things made by artisans. . . and you especially don't think they're going to do it in a church basement -Amy Johnson, director of Puces POP

When they returned Saturday morning to open up for business, the doors were open and unlocked.

Montreal police believe either someone broke in overnight or hid inside as they closed up.

The triannual craft market has been a part of the pop music festival for 10 years. For this latest edition, 110 vendors took part.

Puces POP organizers believe the theft was planned and targeted, since the most popular vendors were hit. One had $11,000 worth of goods taken from her booth alone, and at least two jewellers lost their entire collections.

"We are thinking they are going to resell stuff as their own so we've contacted all the boutiques in Montreal that sell [the artists'] stuff," Johnson said.

Noémie Vaillancourt lost thousands of dollars when pieces from her handmade jewelry line were taken.

"The worst part is thinking of my little gems, my little crystal gems in the bottom of a huge box, probably all broken because it's so fragile," she said.

Vaillancourt is one of the few vendors who had insurance, but she said it's the hours she poured into each piece that she'll never get back.

She said it's hard to understand the motive behind the theft. "It's not easy to sell. Those jewelry [pieces] are handmade," Vaillancourt said.

The vendors were reimbursed their participation fee and POP Montreal is organizing a fundraiser to help them recoup some of the money.

"It will be a really small percentage of what they lost, but it will be something," said Johnson of Puces POP.

