Monthly Archives: March 2012

TAG IT! Flea Market

Tag It! is a new indoor & outdoor flea market with roughly 40 vendors selling collectibles, crafts, antiques and household goods. Located in Medina Township, Ohio, Tag It! is open year round, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Shoppers can find everything from antiques and vintage items to second-hand furniture, toys, new jewelry and more. There [...]

New Troy Indoor Flea Market

Located in New Troy, Michigan, The New Troy Indoor Flea Market as a little something for everyone. From antiques and collectibles, to crafts, books, photography, jewelry, home goods and even locally made and grown food products. New Troy’s Community Center is the achievement of a group of committed people pulling together. Called Friends of New [...]

Tips for Selling at a Pawn Shop

1. If you want to catch the attention of a Pawnbroker, think small. Items such as jewelry, a silver service piece, old firearms or artwork will grab the attention of the owner. Few Pawn Shops are equipped to deal with large items such as furniture or large decorative items or accessories. 2. Pawn Shop owners [...]

Fire Dept. Flea Market Bradley West Virginia

The Fire Dept. Flea Market is located in Bradley, West Virginia and is open Fridays and Saturdays, year-round. Bobby Palmer, the VFD’s Public Information Officer, says they decided to bring the Flea Market back to help support local vendors and serve the community where there’s not another local market for a long distance. The Fire [...]

Kids and Garage Sales: Getting them Involved

At what age do you feel is appropriate to involve your kids in helping out with the family garage sale? What tasks best suit them? We spoke with both parents and yard sale experts to get their feedback and insights. Here’s what they had to say: Stacy Ross, founder of San Diego Bargain Mama says [...]

Salem Collectors Market

Salem Collectors Market is Salem’s oldest and largest flea market located in the Salem Armory next to the Oregon State Fairground. The flea market features over 16,000 square feet of collectibles, antiques, jewelry, glass, pottery, porcelain, toys, furniture, CD’s, tools, home décor and much more! Josefine Fleetwood, the Flea Market’s Organizer says, “Come shop for [...]

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Feature Interview with Lou’s Jewelry & Pawn

We recently set out to learn more about some of the exciting current industry trends that have positively impacted Pawn Shop businesses across the country. Our feature interview is with Lou’s Jewelry & Pawn of Darby, PA. Here’s what the family owned and operated business had to say:

Tell us a little about your business and shop’s history…

“We’ve been family owned since 1914, started in Philadelphia by my father, Louis Myerson. I, Stanton Myerson, am second generation.”

What are some exciting industry trends you’ve noticed in the past couple years that have positively impacted yoru business?

“Without a doubt, the cable show “PAWNSTARS” has been a major positive influence in that it has brought the pawn industry on to Main Street. Together with difficult economic times, the banks not willing to lender money (unless of course you are in the position of not needing money, which defeats the purpose), home property values declining & over 8.5% unemployment, makes the pawn shop a reasonable & legal alternative for many people to get money, and fast.”

What negatives, if any, have you noticed in the Pawn Shop industry in the last couple of years?

“Many of the stereotypical negatives and misnomers have evaporated with the ‘new’ pawnbroking experience as see on the several Cable TV shows.” Stanton also says, “A huge negative is the increased governmental involvement in creating voluminous paperwork & reporting with respect to the Patriots Act, MSB Money Services Business, 1099s to customers who receive over $600 a year & now online reporting of otherwise personal data to a governmental database.”

Has your business grown since 2009 and if so, what are some of the major factors that have contributed to this positive growth?

“Our business is dynamic in the sense that we attempt to stay ahead of the industry. We are innovative and offer our clients the convenience of complete computerization, including digital pics of ID, merchandise & the transaction, guarding against security fraud & protecting our clients privacy.” Stanton also says maintaining competitiveness is key, too. “We understand the market & what items are valued. Therefore, we extend ourselves & offer the most the market will allow & still be profitable.” Lastly, Stanton says positive press has been tremendous. “Over the past 5 years, the press & other media have shown pawnbrokers and the industry in the best possible light.”

Where do you see things going for Pawn Shops in the next 5 years?

“Pawnshops will continue to grow in popularity due to the positive images in the media, programming on pawnbroking showing exactly what we do, the difficult economic times and the tightening of the credit markets where individuals have difficultly receiving loans.”

To learn more about Lou’s Jewelry & Pawn, check out their website.