Heirlooms, Gold Teeth: Desperate People are Selling Whatever it Takes to Get By
from the Orlando Sentinel
Pawnbrokers nationwide are seeing an increase in unusual items – an indicator that people are desperate to sell whatever they have. Pawnbrokers have turned away people trying to sell prosthetic legs, pets and swimming pools, while accepting saddles, stilts and Civil War memorabilia. More

People Cashing in with Pawnshops
from WLNS-TV
There's no shortage of merchandise at Dicker and Deal in Lansing, Mich. The Pawnshop's shelves are stocked full of items brought in by people struggling to get by. The stores owner says business started booming six months ago when the price of gold skyrocketed and it hasn't let up since. More

Troubled Economy Opens Up New Opportunities for Some Businesses
from KHOU-TV
Troubled times are opening up new opportunities. Folks are bringing in their valuable items to pawnshops and secondhand stores – and those businesses are expecting a boost from holiday shoppers on a budget. More

Where are the 9 Percent Who Think All's Well? We Found One
from the Philadelphia Daily News
In a new Gallup poll shows that 91 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with where the country is going. That means 9 percent think we're doing fine. Who are these people? More

In the 90210, Pawning is Hush-Hush
from the Los Angeles Times
In certain zip codes, hocking a pair of Tiffany diamond studs is as hush-hush as a tummy tuck. That's certainly the case at the Beverly Loan Co., where the process couldn't be more discreet and dignified. "I have people waiting with their chauffeured Maybachs in the alley and people who ride a bike here because they can't afford gas," says Jordan Tabach-Bank, chief executive of the upscale Beverly Hills pawnshop that first opened in 1938. More

As Economy Flounders, Jewelry Stores Find Niche
from Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis
Jewelers and pawnshops that buy back gold have experienced a swell in business in recent months, driven by two factors: a surge in the cost of metals and an increasingly recession-like economy. "Pawning has definitely increased," said David Schoeneman, president of the Illinois Pawnbrokers Association. "Many more people are coming in and selling." More

Gold Prices Rise as Fed Cuts Rates, Dollar Falls
from The Associated Press via Forbes
Gold prices rose recently after the Federal Reserve lowered a key interest rate by a half-point to 1.5 percent. The interest rate reduction weighed on the dollar, because a country's currency becomes a less attractive investment if it offers lower rates. A declining dollar tends to boost precious metals prices. More

Pawnshop Business Heats Up as Economy Freezes
from East Valley Tribune
As the wallets of residents Metro Phoenix's East Valley region continue to thin, many are heading to local pawnshops — hocking their power tools, jewelry and electronic devices — in hopes of securing a loan to make ends meet. East Valley pawnshop managers said that they have seen a spike in their money-lending businesses as the U.S. economy continues to worsen. More

Dummy Cameras - How Smart Are They?
from Ezine Articles
Closed Circuit Television Systems (CCTV) offer a very effective, highly visible deterrent to crime. The site of a Security Camera is sometimes enough to send would be criminals scurrying off to look for an easier location to rip-off. So is a Dummy Camera as effective at preventing crime as a real Security Camera? More

Pawnshops See Slight Increase in Traffic as Gold Prices Soar
from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Tim Mertens, manager of National Pawn & Jewelry in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said South Floridians are taking advantage of record-high prices for gold. In fact, Mertens' 22,000-square-foot outlet, in operation since 1950, has seen a 15 to 20 percent jump in business in the past half-year, much of it from people eager to sell gold. More

"Gold Parties:" Like a Pawnshop, with Wine
from The Washington Post via The Seattle Times
It's gold parties now, here in the de-gilded age. The women who used to invite all their girlfriends over to their fantastic homes for good wine and catered nosh, on the pretense of selling merchandise to one another, are now inviting one another over to their fantastic homes for parties where everyone turns their gold into cash and winds up convulsing with giddy laughter over such treasures as wedding bands from bad marriages or those door-knocker earrings left behind by dearly departed Nana. More

Small Business Confidence Nears All-time Low
from MSNBC
If pessimism among small business owners is any indicator, the U.S. economy has not merely derailed. It has hurtled over a cliff and lies in smoking ruins at the bottom of a deep ravine. "Every day is a struggle and if we were not strong people, I see how people can just give up," said Sheri Wolfe, who had to close her struggling business in smalltown Missouri over the summer. More