First burglaries, now robberies.

A string of armed robberies in the last week at local liquor stores and a gas station has left at least two retailers near 19th and Massachusetts streets missing cash.

The robberies follow a string of break-ins and burglaries at liquor stores throughout the city.

Monday night, Lawrence police say an unidentified man robbed Diane’s Liquor, 1806 Mass., just a half-block from another alleged robbery at the Kwik Shop a few nights earlier.

“The neighborhood has noticed,” said Diane Spurling, owner of the liquor store. “It’s mainly retailers.”

The suspect’s description – a black male, medium height and thin build – matches what clerks provided after both of those robberies and another robbery last week at 23rd Street Liquor, 945 E. 23rd St.

Kwik Shop, 1846 Mass., reported a robbery just a few days ago.

“There are some similarities,” Lawrence Police Sgt. Dan Ward said of the suspect’s description. He said the department would continue investigating to see whether the three robberies were related.

Spurling said police told her the same thing when she spoke with them Monday night.

From the end of August to the middle of October, at least six liquor stores in Lawrence were broken into and, in some cases, robbed as well.

The last reported case happened Oct. 20 at Neighborhood Liquors, 1906 Mass., just a few doors down from Diane’s Liquor and the Kwik Shop.

Someone used a concrete rabbit to smash in the door of the liquor store, making off with about $180 worth of liquor.

Officers told owner Mike Myers at the time that the burglary at his store was part of a pattern, Myers said.

The robbery suspect – if it is the same man – showed a weapon once, and then what appeared to be the barrel of a gun, according to police reports.

A robber escaped with cash every time, always fleeing on foot.

Although both crimes involve theft, a burglar breaks into a home or business to steal, while a robber steals from another person by force, often using a weapon or threat.

Ward said the victims at the stores did the right thing, complying with the suspect’s request and calling the police as soon as possible.

Ward also suggested that anyone who sees someone acting suspicious should contact the police.

Spurling said she spoke with one other retailer in the area about the robbery, but didn’t discuss setting up a neighborhood watch to look out for the suspect or other suspicious activity.

“But it’s not a bad idea,” she said.