Pawnshops shed unsavory image, lure Christmas shoppers


With the stigma of shopping at a pawnshop fading, more people are stopping at these locales as they check off their Christmas lists.

John Massa, owner of Beachside Pawn Shoppe in Indialantic, says his retail business is up 70 percent this month, compared with a normal month.

By the numbers 1,300: The number of pawnshops in Florida -- the most of any state, according to the Florida Pawnbrokers Association.

He's getting business from people like Robert Richards of Cocoa Beach, who says he routinely saves between 40 percent and 50 percent off his purchases, which most recently included a "gently used" top-of-the-line surfboard for $400 -- some $600 less, he says, than it would have cost new.

As a regular patron of Beachside Pawn for the past decade, Richards said the Christmas season is a good time of year to shop there.

"You can find a big selection of good-quality items at half the cost," Richards said. "Especially jewelry."

Once generally found in poorer neighborhoods and primarily serving people seeking a quick loan, today's modern pawnshop offers a brighter, cheerier version of the unsavory image that formerly pervaded the industry.

At Beachside Pawn Shoppe, diamond rings and gold bracelets sparkle beneath a glass display case. Massa offers a range of items found of typical Christmas lists in his shop -- car stereos, the latest video-game systems, DVDs, sporting goods, bikes and musical instruments -- all for about half the price of new merchandise. And bartering is allowed.

Some current deals include seven compact discs for $17, DVD movies from $6 to $9, and a Game Cube system for $58.

Massa -- who, along his two brothers, owns three Brevard County pawn shops -- also says that, for younger children, parents can purchase an older game system, like the Sega Genesis, toss in 10 games, and pay only $30 for the whole thing.

Michael Tarzia, owner of Palm Bay Pawn & Jewelry, says he's seeing a lot of holiday shoppers purchasing bikes, jewelry and electronics.

"Why wouldn't you want to save half-off?" Tarzia said. "And the stigma of shopping at a pawnshop is fading."

In fact, many pawnbrokers consider themselves retailers just like any other.

According to the Florida Pawnbrokers Association, although loans are the high-profit center for pawnshops, the retail side generates an average of 27 percent of the shops' revenue.

But Donna Douglas, who owns All Pro Sporting Goods in Melbourne, cautions consumers to be wary.

"If you buy a baseball bat from a pawnshop, they might clean it up so it looks brand-new, but you have no way to know whether that bat has been swung five times or 5,000 times," Douglas said. "Meaning the next swing might crack the bat in half."

In addition, Douglas said, she and her staff offer product knowledge, along with the sale -- knowledge that comes from specializing in the area of sporting goods.

"People go to pawnshops to save money," Douglas said. "But they just have to remember that when they buy something used from someone that doesn't know a lot about the product, they are taking a chance."