Celebrating St. Nick and his three golden balls

NEWS RELEASE BST PAWNBROKERS ************************** The pawn industry has experienced a revival within the last decade due to the popularity of reality television shows depicting pawnshops as welcoming, honest establishments frequented by anyone,

NEWS RELEASE

BST PAWNBROKERS

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The pawn industry has experienced a revival within the last decade due to the popularity of reality television shows depicting pawnshops as welcoming, honest establishments frequented by anyone, regardless of wealth or status.

This is in fact how much of the world regarded pawnshops up until the 18th century when the unregulated “dolly shops” put the whole industry in disrepute.

Many acts and regulations have since been imposed on the industry, and a new breed of honest, forthright pawnbrokers have made visiting these establishments exciting again.

December 6th marks St. Nicholas Day, celebrating the patron saint of pawnbroking.

The day acknowledges the valuable lending and retail services provided by pawnbrokers around the globe and is traditionally celebrated by gifting musical instruments.

However, the rich history of the pawn industry as well as the more recent interpretation of St. Nicholas as Santa Clause has led many to be unfamiliar with St. Nicholas Day.

Fortunately, not all have forgotten. One small pawnshop in West end Sault Ste. Marie has been doing everything it can to re-establish December 6th as International Pawnbrokers’ Day.

“The secret to being a successful pawnshop is keeping the store clean, treating everyone with respect, and ensuring that the items you take as collateral have a resale value,” said Shawn, Pawnbroker and part owner of BST Pawnbrokers. “The public image of pawnbrokers are of greasy, cigar smoking, scary guys, and we're doing everything we can to kill those stereotypes.”

BST Pawnbrokers have been doing very well servicing Sault Ste. Marie and celebrating St. Nicholas Day by advertising in local media, reducing prices on all musical instruments for the week leading up to December 6, and decorating the store with three golden balls—a traditional symbol of the pawnbroking industry.

Spend a little time with a pawnbroker and he or she will entertain you with personal stories that will make you laugh and will share with you the rich history of the industry, with stories like that of Queen Isabella, who pawned her crown jewels to pay for Columbus' Atlantic expedition.

So in this day and age, when recycling, saving, and needing a quick loan to get you through the month are so relevant, your best option may be to visit a pawnshop like BST Pawnbrokers, located at 628 Second line W, on the corner of Second line and Goulais Ave.

By Casey Gallant

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