Slumping economy benefits Auburn pawn shop

With gas prices up and construction jobs down, business has never been better at the Auburn Jewelry and Loan Pawnshop on Lincoln Way in Downtown Auburn."With the rise in fuel (costs), we've seen people come in to get $15 or $20 for gas," said Ron Solomon, owner of the pawnshop for the past 12 years.Solomon estimates that he sees 15 to 20 construction workers in his shop every week, and about 60 monthly. The most common industry for males in the Auburn area, at 16 percent is construction, according to information collected by citydata.com. For females, the most common industry is health care with 14 percent of the area's women workforce."With the slow down in the construction business, we've seen a big increase in tools," Solomon said.The center section of his shop in front of the back counter is covered with cordless drills, electric saws and nail guns, while expensive pressure washers and compressors sit on the floor. On Monday, Angel Tiburcio traded in a bag full of video games that his son no longer uses, and was given $1 for each game. The driver for National Construction lives in Sacramento, but makes stops in the Auburn area. He did not pawn the games for gas money, but it helped his situation.Besides tools, the pawnshop has a selection of musical instruments, including flutes, clarinets, saxophones and guitars. On Monday, Joe Jackson of El Dorado County came in to pawn his 1967 acoustical Yamaha guitar, which he got $100 for."It's for gas and food money," Jackson said. "The guitar is pretty precious to me . . . I wouldn't be trading it unless I had to."Jackson is married with two daughters and now one daughter is living at home, he said.Besides instruments and tools, there are rifles, saddles, chainsaws and a selection of gold jewelry. With the price of gold rising to more than $900 an ounce, more people have been bringing in jewelry and gold chains."I take everything in," Solomon said. "I've taken in a lot of guitars, so musicians are hurting, too. There are a lot of people who are living check to check so we'll see a lot of repeat business."Customers will come into the Auburn Jewelry and Loan Pawnshop and receive money for four-month loans. If they pay back the loan before the end of four months, then they can claim the item pawned.The shop does not have a problem with stolen merchandise, according to Solomon. Customers are required to show a driver's license ID and then give a thumbprint on the shop's receipt. "We're highly regulated with the Auburn Police Department," Solomon said. "We rarely get anything that's stolen."While there are few problems with stolen goods, you might not get the price you want, especially if it's your glass eye."We had a guy come in and try to get a loan on his glass eye," Solomon said. "We offered him a deal, but it wasn't enough."The Journal's Bruce Warren can be reached at brucew@goldcountrymedia.com, or comment online at Auburnjournal.com