People come to a career in pawnbroking from all walks of life. For Kelly Swisher, it was the steel mills. When not at work, he spent his hours picking through the scrap gold at the Jewelry store owned by his Aunt and Uncle. “Uncle Jimmy would let me pick through his scrap gold to find chains and bracelets that I could polish and resell to guys that I worked with at the steel mill,” he recalls.
For years, Kelly sold jewelry to his fellow millworkers, learning about the pawn business along the way from his uncle who by then had opened a pawnshop. Soon, his business grew, and he found himself traveling to pawn and jewelry stores in the area trading in diamonds and jewelry. “I truly believe the pawn business chooses you; you don’t choose it. I am thankful it chose me,” says Kelly.
In 2002, Kelly opened his own pawnshop, Arlington Jewelry & Loan, in Arlington Heights, a northwest suburb of Chicago. From the beginning, he aligned himself with colleagues and became active in the Illinois Pawnbrokers Association, currently serving as its President.
Despite a long history of proactive legislative relations, the “Predatory Loan Prevention Act”, which was passed in March 2021, shook Illinois pawnbrokers to their core, resulting in litigation brought by the IPA, National Pawnbrokers Association, and other Plaintiffs. While the news is good for now, the experience was sobering.
“I’ve always known better than to take for granted how quickly laws can change our industry,” Swisher shares, “but the pace at which this escalated was surprising to everyone.”
Also surprising were the organizations that emerged as vocal detractors from pawn. Namely, the Woodstock Institute which circulated inflammatory messaging, including a flyer that stated, “Allowing an exemption for pawnbrokers would open the door for other carveouts and create a loophole.” This document, pictured below, lists over a dozen organizations, most of whom have at least some presence in other states, including the American Fintech Council, AARP Illinois, and Illinois PIRG (Public Interest Research Group).
Swisher himself flew into action on many fronts, including a project involving driving from one Illinois pawnshop after another filming customer testimonials. “One after another, they told stories of how the pawnbroker had helped them through a difficult time,” he recalls, “and time and again, they referred to the store as ‘my pawnshop’.” It was just one of many ways he and other IPA members are working to help legislators and leaders see the pawn industry from 360-degrees of perspective. But, he notes, they need more pawnbrokers to join the fight. See the video at pawnshopdata.com.
“It’s inconceivable that there are still pawnbrokers who are not involved in their state association and NPA. I see these trade associations as an extension of my business. NPA looks after my best interest in Washington, just as IPA does here in Illinois.
His advice for other pawnbrokers? Be relentlessly proactive in your efforts to educate the lawmakers who impact your livelihood because it’s a sure bet that Illinois pawnbrokers will not be the only ones to face these sorts of challenges: “It’s no longer a matter of if, but when.”
ABOUT ARLINGTON JEWELRY AND LOAN: Arlington Jewelry and Loan is family owned and operated pawn shop established in 2002. All employees are GIA educated and offer unparalleled customer service and expertise. More information is available at arlingtonloan.com or by calling (847) 577-3700.
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