Parking, parking, who’s got the parking?

/in , ,

North Market Street is a great place to do business in many ways, but it was even better before the county started eliminating parking spaces.

Saturday, Kamaaina Loan sent an observer out to see what more parking means for business. The locale: the Upcountry farmers market.

The market used to be held at the Eddie Tam Community Center, which has maybe a dozen parking stalls. And it used to attract about 6 vendors and perhaps two dozen customers over the course of a couple of hours every Saturday morning.

If somebody was setting up the meeting room in the center for a baby luau or birthday party, which was usually the case, there was even less parking.

Over a year ago, for reasons unrelated to parking, the market was moved to the private parking lot next to Longs at Kulamalu Town Center.

It took a while for people to get used to it, but nowadays, the farmers market draws at least 5o vendors and we don’t know how many customers. But last Saturday, the parking lot — we didn’t count, but it has probably 300-400 stalls — was full. Overfull.

People wanting to get at the locally-made jellies, just-picked avocados, fresh greens and sausage biscuits (among many other things) had to park along the access road, and the overflow of cars reached nearly to Maikalani (the offices of the Institute for Astronomy).

We cannot think of a clearer example of what you need for business stimulation.

 

 

 

 

Pawn 101: The most common bad news

/in , ,

According to examiner.com, the most common bad news answer that the Pawn Stars stars give to customers is:

 “The customer’s ‘Sterling Silver’ flatware is actually plated.”

At Kamaaina Loan, the most common answer the customer doesn’t want to hear is probably, “Not for me.”

And it probably applies more to tools or electronic equipment than to flatware.

The deal is, it doesn’t make sense for a pawnbroker to lend money on (or purchase) anything that doesn’t have a ready resale value. “Ready” is a relative term. For collectibles and art, a ready market might take years to develop.

For power tools, which we see a lot of, a ready market means turnover in weeks, or at most a few months.

For electronic equipment, stuff that still works perfectly might not be worth a dime — games and game players from a couple of years ago usually have very small value in the market, if any. Older cellphones are another item that depreciates fast because newer models keep pushing them into the background.

The market is what it is. We don’t do much in the fur coat line, because who on Maui would we sell a fur coat to? On the Mainland, the coat might do better.

Plated silverware is usually (but not always) practically worthless, because the film of silver is so thin. Underneath is scrap iron, worth a penny a pound.

But you have to check. There are a few (very few in the case of plated eating utensils) models that have collectible value.

Which is why the No. 1 all-time response we give to customers who call is, “Bring it in.”

Until we see it and handle it and examine it, we cannot put a value on it.

We can tell you what silver is worth — $30.82 cents an ounce in New York as this is typed, but that’s for Comex-deliverable silver, which is a strange beast of great purity. Sterling is silver mixed with other metals (for durability), so it is worth less.

But a silver dollar — even if it is a Susan B. Anthony silver dollar without any silver in it — it always worth a dollar.

 

Pawnbrokers should be smiling

/in ,

IDEX Research finds that in 2012 for the first time, sales in America of jewelry and fine watches exceeded $70 billion. It is not clear from this story at National Jeweler whether resales were counted or not.

Our guess is not. But pawnbrokers should be happy anyway.

First, it gives more Americans more stuff to pawn if they feel like it. Second, it provides the wherewithal for pawn shops’ important business in recycled (second-hand, vintage, collectible, historical, retro) jewelry.

Bigger pie, bigger slices.

The percentage increase in the fine jewelry business was not as great as in 2011, but that year the prices of gold and other precious metals zoomed. In 2012, metals’ prices were up, but not as much, so the gain came from more sales.

That is, more Americans felt able to afford fine jewelry and watches last year. As our source for this story at Little Green Footballs notes, that should be taken as a vote of confidence in the overall economy.

In case you are curious, bling beats Bowser. Pets International says dog food sales are around $10 billion.

 

 

 

We have regular stuff for sale

/in ,
One shade of gray

One shade of gray

Last week we mentioned that we have weird stuff for sale, for example, an irradiated dime. But we also have good regular stuff. More regular stuff than weird stuff, really.

For example, for just $24.99, you can get a nice pre-owned pair of Oakley Flak shades, gray lenses on gloss black frames, in a case.

 

 

 

 

 

Pawn 101: Lucky we pawn on Maui

/in , , ,

Not needed at our pawn shop

This past week’s episode of “Hard Core Pawn,” the reality show shot in Detroit featured this http://cleverrealitytv.com/2012/09/16/hardcore-pawn-94-news-flash-pawn-shops-sell-your-stuff-les-finds-a-ruby-in-the-rough-a-muscular-woman-rock-em-sock-em-robots-and-crazy-comes-in-all-colors-in-detroit/incident:

A guy then went up to Rich’s window complaining about a generator he bought less than 12 hours ago from the shop. Rich said the thing was ‘as-is’ and there was nothing he could do about it. The guy was very big and loud. Rich was arguing with the guy and Les was watching the confrontation. Rich was pissed off more than usual at this guy and he went to go out front. The customer ripped off he jacket and got ready to maul Rich and his goatee of death. The big security guards were holding the customer back. Les went outside to talk to the guy to try and help. Les said he would check out the generator and then had a repair man fix it. The guy was happy with the end result.

(From the Clever Reality website.)

To be clear, that was Detroit Rich, not Big Rich of Market Street.

Kamaaina Loan doesn’t even have security guards. No need on North Market Street.

The “as-is” sale policy is the same everywhere among the nation’s 13,000-plus pawnshops. That applies to items coming in as well as going out.

If you  bring in, say, a computer or a cellphone, to sell or to get a loan on, you’ll  be asked to turn it on, and, if necessary, enter your password.

You’d be surprised, maybe, how many people bring in a dead cellphone without a charger and expect to get money for it.

Charge ’em up at home or bring your charger with you. (And why can’t you just plug it in to the USB port on the computer on the counter? Because that’s a good way to infect our system with computer viruses.)

 

 

We have weird stuff for sale

/in

For example, a 1963 silver dime that was irradiated at Oak Ridge.

And why, you ask, would anyone irradiate a dime? Is it still radioactive?

According to Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the dimes were a public relations stunt designed to show visitors how neutron activation created valuable radioisotopes that are used in medicine.

Silver was chosen because, in those days,  people had silver coins in their pockets, and neutron-irradiated silve-109 changed to radioactive silver-110.

Silver-110 has the convenient property of a short half-life — 22 seconds.

Visitors had their dimes put under a Geiger counter to show that they had, indeed, become radioactive. But by the time the tour was over, the radioactivity had declined to almost undetectable levels.

Amazingly, the silver-110 had also transmuted into another element, cadmium-110.

The lab encased the radiodimes in plastic. They are not particularly rare; about 250,000 were irradiated.

These coins are purely collectors’ items. They are no longer radioactive and have no practical use.

Our dime is priced at $9.99. Since it is 90% silver, its metal content is, at today’s price, worth around $5. The other $5 or so is curiosity value.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320980036292&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

An irradiated dime

Real reality bites

/in , , ,
Know what this is and how much it's worth?

A ribbon issued to welcome US Navy sailors to Honolulu during the war with Spain.

The excitement is building, but a little nervousness, too, as we prep Kamaaina Loan for filming the Pawn Stories reality TV show Thursday. As we said earlier, this is real reality, no script.

Now that we’re about to go on camera, the idea of a script begins to show its advantages.

 With a script, you not only know for sure you’ll be getting something, but you know what it will be. You can cheat a little and do some research beforehand. Come Thursday, we’ll be working the flying trapeze without a net: If you bring in a whatzis that we’ve never seen before, we might be stumped. Or not. There are a lot of reference books upstairs, and with a combined cenjury or so of experience, there are not that many things that have never come over the counter before.

It doesn’t have to be bizarre, though.

What's this Hawaiiana item and what is it worth?

Hawaiiana item

Hawaiiana items are sure to be a hit with the Mainlanders. Come on by, starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. again Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.

(What’s the weirdest thing anyone ever brought in? Hard to say, but the Egyptian sarcophagus has to be a contender. It took a while, but we found a buyer for it.)

 

 

 

Secrets of reality TV

/in , , , , ,

Secrets of reality TV

 

Most reality TV shows are staged. You knew that, right? I mean, all those coincidences in “The Amazing Race” didn’t just happen.

 

There’s an exception, though, and it’s right here. Only we need you to make it happen, fo’ real.

 

On Thursday and Friday (and maybe Saturday, too), Pawn Stories will be filming at Kamaaina Loan. No script, no fakery.

 

What we are trying to do, however, is to compress the interesting things that really do happen in the pawnshop over a month, or six months into two days – in the interest of efficiency with the production crews.

 

Thus, we want you to bring your most curious item in and let us give you a reading. Did tutu tell you the diamond in her wedding ring was “perfect”? You always wondered if it really was. Find out.

 

In reality, Kamaaina Loan does get a lot of curious stuff. Not every day. Jimi likes to talk about atmospheric clocks, “the closest thing to perpetual energy.”

 

We really do get atmospheric clocks in. We have one on pawn right now, and we purchased another about three years ago.

 

They’re real but rare.

 

So what we’d like you to do for us is help us concentrate all that reality into two days. Should be fun.

 

We’re open 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and the early bird will get the worms.

 

Call 242-5555 if you have questions.

 

And, yes, if you have regular business and don’t want to be filmed, we’re setting up a no-camera area.

Comb through your attic, then your hair . . .

/in , ,

. . . and then bring yourself and your strangest or most interesting possession down to Kamaaina Loan on Thursday or Friday. You’ll want to comb your  hair because you can be on TV.

Reality TV production company Pawn Stories will be videoing in our shop both days, and you can be part of the show!

 

No kidding, Most reality shows are scripted, wholly or totally (you knew that, right?>), but not this one. Our customers and staff will do what they do, and the cameras will catch it.

If you prefer to keep off camera but have business anyway (like paying off a loan and reclaiming a pawn), we will have a separate, camera-free area for you.

We’re combing our hair, too, and looking to have a lot of fun, and we’d like you to be part of it. And stay for Wailuku First Friday.

Mark your calender and be on TV with us

/in , ,

Just a reminder that Pawn Stories Inc. will be filming two (possibly three) days of reality TV at Kamaaina Loan & Cash for Gold, and YOU’RE INVITED!

Here’s how to enhance your chances: Bring something interesting — rare, valuable, odd, even kooky — and show it to our pawnbrokers. There will be two (sometimes 3) cameras rolling, taking it all in. Unlike some of the pawn shows you’ve seen, this one is NOT scripted. The producers want to see pawning in paradise, by real people acting the way they really act when the cameras are not around.

If you can talk story, all the better.

OK, here’s a backstage secret. The producer, Bob McCullough, does not script. However, sometimes, when an interaction is really good, he may ask the participants to repeat what they said, to get good audio. In real life, sound recording can be tricky.

Let’s say, though, that you have to do a pawn or sale transaction for the usual reasons — you need cash — and you don’t want it on video. No problem. Kamaaina Loan will be in regular operation, with a separate location next door where the cameras won’t be. Your choice: Be a pawn star, or don’t be a pawn star.

The film schedule is Thursday, Sept. 6, and Friday, Sept. 7, during regular business hours, which are 9 am to 6 pm. Your chances of being filmed are better earlier in the day.

Be sure to stick around for Wailuku First Friday, which is also slated to be filmed.

We will film on Saturday, Sept. 8, if necessary.

Anyone agreeing to take part will be asked to sign a standard video release. It should be fun and we look forward to seeing old friends. Even if you don’t have an item to present, bring yourself and say Howzzit!