Some area pawn shops credit economy for boom in business

While people struggle to make ends meet and find jobs across the country, sales at pawn shops are skyrocketing.

Is that the case in Southeast Texas?

People with a budget on a string are looking for cheaper ways to buy.

"People looking for anything from tools, to tv's, to vehicles, to jewelry, to guns," says Dustin Chaney.

Dustin Chaney with Lone Star State Pawn in Lumberton says they're not just buying, for the past 6 months .. they've been bringing in belongings to get quick cash in hand.

"We actually have a lot of new faces with the economy the way it is and gas prices going up. Obviously they're needing a little extra money to get from place to place," says Chaney.

People are bringing in more items, and larger ones. How large? You can look around and see cars, even boats.

And it's not just the size, but the dollar value.

They're selling a high-priced platinum ring.

"Anything from campers to expensive guns, high price jewelry and stuff like that," says Chaney.

On average they're seeing 5 new faces a day, and just a few weeks ago the pawn shop set a record on how many loans the wrote in a day. But they say it's not the loans now, it's the sales.

Rather than putting items under lock and key at the pawn shop, Chaney says more people are selling items outright.

But it may take a sale to move some things off the shelf.

"We see those dwindle down close to payday. People need a little extra money and so our sales start to hurt some, but at the beginning of the month, they go back up," says Chaney.

A side-effect of the economy, Chaney says, one that's keeping them in business.

Some pawn shop owners in the area say they have not seen an increase in loans or sales. Others say they have, and believe it's related to tax season.