It's busy season for pawn shops

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The owner of a local pawn shop says this time of year he sees an influx of people looking to make the most of their money as they shop for gifts.

Randy Ramsey, owner of Ram-Z's pawn shop in Lafayette, said this is definitely a busy season for pawn shops, though with the recession, it's been a busy past three years.

He said this Christmas isn't as bad as last year's, but he still talks to people who are out of work. And those people often find several ways a pawn shop can save them a few bucks.

"In some situations we have individuals who just simply are out of work and haven't been able to pay bills, and need to sell something, not only to pay those bills but also to come up with a little extra cash," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said during the holidays, there are three main reasons people visit his shop: buying items for gifts, selling items for some extra cash, or getting a loan.

"It's nice that we're here, that we can help, because a person can come here with an item of value, they can walk out with cash in their pocket, without having to go through a lot of the details they would have to go through with the bank," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said the holidays can be made even more affordable if you come with something to trade, like one woman who traded Native American artifacts from Carroll County for a Christmas fashion ring.

"Once here we had a woman come in and actually we removed her center diamond, put a Cubic Zirconia in place of it, and with $1000 or $1500, she then had credit that she had her children come in and pick items out for Christmas," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said some of the most popular items are jewelry, firearms, and sports collectibles. As far as what he's bought, those items run the gamut from an antique chair owned by Abraham Lincoln's son, to a piece of amber with two honeybees inside, to sleigh bells that just may have come from Santa himself.

Ramsey said some people mention a stigma about purchasing "pawned" items, but said some of the collectibles and antiques are worth more, thanks to their pre-owned status.