A pawnbroker or pawn shop is an individual or business that offers secured loans to its customers, with items of personal property used as collateral. Basically, something of value is held in exchange for something else of value. Today, pawn shops also buy items outright, and sell purchased products or those that have not been retrieved from the pawn process. Pawnbroking existed in the ancient Greek and Roman Empires, and as the culture of the time spread, pawnbroking did as well. Likewise, in the East, the pawn business model existed in China over 3000 years ago.

When an item is pawned for a loan, the client may redeem it for the amount of the loan plus some predetermined amount of interest within a certain period of time, which may also be extended, as is common practice with most pawn shops. That contractual time frame and interest rate is either governed by laws of the jurisdiction in which the pawn shop operates or by the pawnbroker's own policies. If the loan is not paid within the specified time period, the pawned item will typically be offered up for sale to the general public. Unlike other lenders, the pawnbroker does not conduct checks for creditworthiness, or report any defaulted loans to credit reporting agencies, since he has physical possession of the item and may recoup the loan value through outright sale thereof.

Modern pawn businesses are highly regulated, and are run by ethical, honest people who obey the law. Pawn shops can seem like an attractive venue for people who wish to sell stolen merchandise, but if anything seems questionable or out of the ordinary, authorities will typically be contacted. If law enforcement is investigating reported thefts or burglaries, they will often check in with local pawn shops to see if any reportedly stolen merchandise has found its way there. Basically, anyone with fraudulent or dubious intent is not welcomed.

We take in a wide range of merchandise including DVDs, coins, jewelry, appliances, tools, collectibles, car and home electronics, firearms, musical instruments and bikes, to name a few. Unlike stores that have a relatively fixed inventory, our shelves may not hold the same items one day that they do another. This makes shopping at Metro Pawn & Gun exciting – where else can you go and run across a rare, restored Coca Cola cooler from 1954? Come see what we have to offer, or get that short-term loan that you need to help in a financial pinch. You’ll be glad you did!