Pawn Shops! Economic Barometer?

Hello Everyone! Earlier this week I had the pleasure of going on a “pawn shop” trip in San Diego’s North Park area.  It just so happens I had a birthday earlier this week too– so I was in search of an opal ring– my birth stone.

How do pawn shops work?  A pawn shop gives customers a place to sell their personal items for cash. The  pawn broker looks the item over and determines how much money he can obtain for it.  He then makes a lower offer to the customer. The pawn broker makes money when he  sells the item at a higher price.  (I have a feeling the pawn broker made some money off me…)

Read more:  How Do Pawn Shops Work? | eHow.com

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Pictured above is the opal ring I found at CashCo Jewelry & Loan for $90.  Lucky for me the jewelry was 30% off the day I was there.  This was my first serious trip to a pawn shop. I was surprised at the fantastic quality goods I found.  Since I’m still in search of diamond earrings– looks like I’ll be cruising by the pawn shops when I’m ready to buy those.

Which brings me to my next question– pawn shops as economic barometers?  Why is the pawn industry generating so much buzz as a “barometer of  the economy”? Reports show the three publicly traded pawn  companies reported significantly increased earnings during the last two  fiscal quarters. An increase in gold value and the “Cash for  Gold” craze have both shown record numbers of people trading in old jewelry  and coins for cash. Perhaps the perception could be based on speculation  that in hard times, people pawn. However, there is a larger, more  compelling story about the pawn industry.

The National Pawnbrokers Association reports there are over 30 million pawn store customers per year and they appreciate this unique form of credit and tend to borrow only what they need, as evidenced by the relatively low national average loan amount of $80. NPA President and pawn shop owner Dave Crume says, “Pawn customers repay their loans and redeem their collateral at a correspondingly high average national redemption rate of 80 percent. These parameters appear to be holding constant, despite the current economy.”

  • CashCo Jewelry & Loan #1
  • 4502 University Avenue #103
  • San Diego, CA  92105
  • Web: www.cashcopawn.com

I’m not sure what to make of all this, but I’m really glad I stopped by CashCo last Monday and found my lovely opal ring. I’m pretty sure it was “pre-owned” and that is fine.  (Now if I could just find some “pre-owned” diamond earrings….)

Under-consumption is more in-style than ever, right??!  (why buy new?)

Cheers!

 

Upcycling. Reuse and Recycle

I love the idea of Upcycling things. I found this awesome blog post and felt it was so awesome I just had to share with my own readers. I’m a big believer in “trash to treasure” in furniture– and life in general. You never know when you’ll find that diamond in the rough, right? Cheers everyone and keep me posted if you have any good Upcycling stories! –Jody

thrift shopper for peace

My tagline says “reuse, refresh, rethink, repeat.” Upcycling, I believe, is a great example of reusing, refreshing and rethinking. Today’s Vancouver Sun has an article titled “Upcycling hits the home show”, all about a number of designers who were challenged to find an item at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore and upcycle it to something else. The challenge also raises funds for Habitat for Humanity, which makes it even cooler.

Some of the projects are quite unique – like Tazim Damji’s clever use of an old police stretcher, which she turned into a carry all with pockets for magazines, pencils and pens, etc. that leans against a wall. I don’t like the way it looks but it’s an awesome example of creative thinking.

I also did NOT like what Maria Killam did to a gorgeous, hardwood end table that looked like it was in great shape. She painted it…

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$2 Dollar Thrill – Recycle It & Rock It!

Last weekend I found myself wondering– what can you get for a couple of bucks these days? Turns out $2 buys a whole lot of cool stuff at $2 Dollar Thrill in Ocean Beach. Everything from vinyl records to CD’s to cute dresses and summer tops. I’m not kidding… you really can buy a dress in this place for $2. A super cute dress! When I originally stopped by it was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I was post-beach and completely out of cash (bummer). An especially huge bummer because I spotted a super-fabulous dress and didn’t have 2 bucks in actual cash-only my debit card. (Ahh.. such is life) The good news– I’m planning a return trip next weekend and maybe I can do some damage under $10. Never thought I’d say that!!

  • $2 Dollar Thrill
  • 4871 Newport Avenue
  • Ocean Beach, CA 92107
  • Phone: (619) 222-2772
  • Web: www.thrifttrader.org

From what I was told, this is the place where the “left-over” stuff from their Pacific Beach store goes. I hear in Pacific Beach the items are priced at $6 (oh… guess this is the high price store-ha). So… recycle it and rock the look! Here’s to recycling and here are some of the cute things I found…

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Computer & InkStore – Affordable Printer Ink Cartridges

Tired of paying ridiculous amounts of money for printer cartridges? (Personally, I was. This is why I had been putting of replacing my ink cartridges for so long!) While out and about last weekend I stumbled upon the Computer & InkStore on Garnet Avenue located in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. This shop has been saving San Diegans money for over 8 years.

The Computer & InkStore refills your empty printer ink cartridges with less impact on the environment and at a fraction of the cost of buying new. All cartridges are filled while you wait and typically within 15 minutes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee for the life of the cartridge. All of it sounded too good to be true. However, I can tell you from personal experience my printer cartridges worked great when I got home. I got out of the shop for approximately $20 and within 20 minutes (this gave me time to browse some of the local shops nearby).

Computer & InkStore

1440 Garnet Avenue

San Diego, CA 92109

Phone: (858)412-3270

www.computerandinkstore.com

I found out this shop also does PC and Mac repair and maintance, virus and spyware removal, laptop screen replacement and data recovery/back-up and transfer. Free estimates are given for all repairs and there’s not a charge if it can’t be fixed. Best of all they repair the screens for the iPhone 4 product. This is great news to me as I’ve been known to turn into “butter fingers” and drop phones. Not a good trait when it comes to the expensive iPhone 4!

Here is a sample of pricing for services:

  • Broken Screen & LCD Repair on iPhone 4– $85
  • Home Button Repair on iPhone 4– $49
  • iPad 1&2 Glass Repair– $139
  • PC Tune-up– $25
  • Data Recovery, Back up & Transfer– $50

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Local & Worldwide Thrifting Resources

  Local and worldwide thrifting resources:

Freecycle is a grassroots world wide organization that helps people exchange used items at no cost. You can locate a group in your community and join, then participate by offering items or find items you can use. Freecyclers help each other by exchanging goods and they help the planet by keeping stuff out of landfills.  I am part of the local San Diego Freecycle Network and they definitely have a lot to offer.  Tonite I received emails “advertising” free TV’s, baby clothes and gift wrap.
Charity Shops managed by Goodwill, the Salvation Army and schools, churches or synagogues offer bargains on clothing, books, housewares and furniture plus your purchase helps fund humanitarian programs sponsored by the organization running the shop. Goodwill Industries also has an online auction service similar to E-bay called www.shopgoodwill.com.
Flea Markets are everywhere!  You can find them in small towns, in city parking lots, in large arenas and inside warehouse buildings.
Resale Shops offer used goods for sale like a regular store. Some shops take items on consignment from the owner; others buy and sell used merchandise of all sorts from consumers or other resellers.
Auctions offer all sorts of opportunities for buying and selling used goods. You can find local auction listings in any community newspaper or merchandising flyer. Most auction advertisements list the type of items to be offered at the sale.  Some flea markets also have an on site auction house or area for auction sales.

Online Auctions (E-bay plus many more) offer a huge range of items in a database. You can search through categories by keyword or simply browse until you find what you like, then you can bid on and pay for your winning bid selection using your computer. You can also sell what you don’t need. Be sure to check out the terms and conditions of each service prior to signing up or making a purchase. Shipping terms should be evaluated if you live far from the seller.
Tag Sales ( yard sales) are one of the most interesting places to find junk-tiques. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.