A BRAZEN thief has stolen at least $3,000 worth of stock from a new business in the Rockhampton CBD.

The Cats Meow Gifts has only been open for three weeks and was sadly victim of a break and enter on Saturday morning.

The theft took place around 5.24am at the Denham St business.

The CCTV footage shows the male thief breaking the doors to enter the business.

He can be seen walking around the store using his phone as a light, overloading his arms with goods and filling his pockets and knocking over items on the floor.

The male thief also appears to be stumbling and swaying and it has been alleged he could have been intoxicated.

At last tally, it has been estimated $3,000 worth of stock has been stolen, plus the cost to repair the entry doors and loss of trade.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident.

Owner Tracey Austin resigned from a forensics role in the Queensland Police Service to open the business.

While crime is something she is not new to, she didn't expect to be impacted by it so soon in her new business.

Speaking from her experience in the police service, Ms Austin noted how crime could have a ripple effect for victims and they feel it for some time afterwards and it is quite damaging to lives and businesses.

Ms Austin has released CCTV of the incident on social media and encourages others to do so if they find themselves in the same position.

"Putting the faces of these perpetrators out there in full view instead of letting them hide behind their cowardice and crime, is also important," she said.

"Someone may know him or someone else may have been affected and is too frightened or unsure to report the crime and stories like this may give the person just the right kind of "it's OK" to do something."

Knowing exactly what to do in the situation, Ms Austin said it was important as a victim to help police.

"I walked the pavement yesterday looking for anything that may have been discarded and found quite a lot," she said.

"I was also approached by a local who found some of my shirts and showed me where he found them.

"This helped to locate a "trail"."

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