More Women Pawn their Jewels in Tarnished Economy
from Reuters
Pawnbrokers are seeing many more new customers as Americans, mostly women, hock their gold jewelry to make ends meet. "There's definitely been a great many more first timers coming in," said Joseph Grunberg of Lombard Mutual Pawnbrokers & Jewelers, New York City. "There are a lot more women then men, but that's because more women have more jewelry."More

More People Turning to Pawnshops for Deals
from CBS Atlanta
More people are turning to pawnshops to buy − and sell − stuff. CBS Atlanta reporter Harry Samler stops by Jerry’s Pawn Shop to discuss the important role pawnshops are playing amid these tough economic times. The shop’s owner and president of the National Pawnbrokers Association David Adelman, said many people depend on pawnbrokers to help them meet their daily financial needs. More

Recessions Boosts Pawnshop Business
from The Chicago Tribune
The nation's deepening recession has boosted business at Indiana's pawnshops as people shed possessions − particularly electronics − for cash to pay bills. Ace Pawn Shop manager Chris Banul said business is up and he's seeing more high-end items brought to the Bloomington, Ind., shop for collateral, or sold outright, as the economy has worsened. More

Pawnshop Perspectives
from the Helena Independent Record
With the economy on a continued downward slide, many Montanans are looking to creative ventures as a way to beef up their dwindling bank accounts. Yet, it isn’t translating into a remarkable increase in people pawning their goods, shop owners say, and it's sales at pawnshops that are actually spiking. More

Pawnshops in Pennsylvania Seeing More Activity in Light of Economic Recession
from The Express Times
David Mann didn't need Wall Street, cable television news shows or President Obama to tell him times are tough. The owner of A-Town Pawn Shop in Lehigh Valley, Pa., saw the economic tsunami long before the wave crashed. More

China Businesses Turn to Pawnshops as Loans Dry Up
from Reuters
When Chinese businessman Roger Zhang needed a bridging loan for his steel company, he went to a pawnshop to get a cash flow injection to keep his business afloat. Turned away by banks caught in the credit crunch, Roger, like many Chinese businessmen, borrows from pawnshops instead. In this case, he paid off the loan a few days later when a customer made payment on a big steel purchase. More

Online Pawnbroker Expanding Rapidly
from the Mortgage Introducer
Borro.com is reporting a sharp increase in the numbers of both prime and subprime borrowers using its services. Borro.com, which launched in July 2008, has been doubling its loan-book every four to six weeks over the last six months, and recently expanded its lending capacity to keep pace with accelerating demand. More

Pawnshop Popularity in This Economy: Guns and Gold
from The Gaston Gazette
The pawnshop business boils down to two basic items in today's economy. "This area is strictly guns and gold," said Rick Fine, owner of West End Pawn in Gastonia, N.C. The reason for the items' popularity is dictated by a few influences, shop owners say. More

Market Tough for Antiques, Heirlooms
from Seattle Post Intelligencer
People trying to sell their prized possessions these days are finding that − as with homes or stocks − the market value of everything from baseball cards to antique furniture has sunk. The reason is simple: Potential buyers are outnumbered by desperate sellers. From an antiques auction house that caters to wealthy residents of Palm Beach, Fla., to an Ohio pawnshop with a blue-collar clientele, similar stories abound. More

Empty Shelves are Giving Many East Texans Ammunition for Discussion
from KTRE-TV
Empty shelves are giving many East Texans ammunition for discussion. A Lufkin, Texas, pawnshop manager said the increase in gun sales is a double barreled issue, with the struggling economy and the new administration. More