Down the rabbit hole of life as a Pawn Shop Owner in Windsor

Despite economic challenges, a Windsor pawn shop owner says they are still going strong.  

With the current price of goods and services affecting Canadians from all walks of life, pawn shops can act as valuable outlets for a variety of situations. These stores offer people a place to trade their unnecessary goods for cash or purchase used goods at a reduced price. They can also be a haven during uncertain economic times when folks can’t receive money from traditional institutions like banks.  

Valentin Petra, 43, is the owner of Ouellette Avenue’s pawn shop The Rabbit Hole. He has operated the store for seven years, primarily trading in electronics, collectibles and gold items.   

During the pandemic, Petra said he saw a surge in new buyers. He said this was linked to the government relief checks being sent at the time. Even with the changes in Canada’s economy, this influx of customers hasn’t inherently dropped off. In many ways, Petra sees more business these days. 

 To Petra, the reputation of a pawn shop affects the longevity of this business more than the overall state of the economy.  

“When people trust a pawn shop, they usually keep going there,” said Petra. “There’s the few that shop around looking for the best deal, but when people like a pawn shop, they just stick with that shop” 

Petra said a way he builds trust is by assuring quality stock. He regularly tests his items and even demonstrates the quality of the items in store to customers before a sale. 

“I don’t put anything that has something wrong with it on the shelf,” said Petra. “I’ll have it to the side if I try to sell it.” 

One difficulty Petra finds in this economy can be the disconnect between the customer and the seller. Petra has to face the same financial challenges as everyone else; however, customers still expect lower prices for his items.  

“You deal with a lot of people that don’t understand the business aspect,” said Petra “You get a lot of haters out there, they usually start a fight or call you the dumb one.” 

Petra said more understanding with those allowing people to pawn their goods would be appreciated as everyone finds their way in this economy.