Pawnbroker Christina Roosman is living proof that there’s no single path to success. Every successful person charts their own course and finds their niche by following their heart. For Roosman, owner of Jewelry Journey & Co. in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, it started when she found herself looking for a new job after launching her youngest daughter off to college. That’s when she started working at a local pawnshop, first as a bookkeeper.
“My degree was in math, and helping with the books came easy to me,” she recalls. It wasn’t long before she found herself using those same math skills to calculate gold transactions. This eventually led to her working the jewelry counter. She was hooked.
“I’m a people person, and I find it easy to relate to each customer, see God in them, and put myself in their shoes,” she says. She put her heart into the business, which eventually led to growing it.
Before long, the owners began talking about selling the business to her, and Christina knew that it was time for her to take a leap of faith and buy the pawnshop. She closed on the deal, shifted the brand, and moved to a new location in 2018. “I designed the complete build-out and learned a lot about building design and the costs involved in bringing things compliant to codes,” she recalls.
She was lucky enough to retain her gemologist, Kia, who now runs the store alongside her. She built her brand from the ground up, giving her store a boutique theme, blending her passion for travel and wellness with her store’s look and feel. She offered lower interest rates than other pawnshops in the area and gained lots of loyal customers, nearly doubling her loan balance.
When asked what she loves most about pawnbroking, she enthusiastically replied, “It’s the ability to actually help other people,” which is something that happens every day.
“Once, a young couple walked in and was looking for a specific ring. She showed me a picture of what they wanted. We didn’t have anything like it in the case, but I told them I’d look for one and notify them if one came in. Literally, an hour later, an elderly gentleman came in. His wife had passed on, and he needed money for her funeral. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he pulled out the exact ring that the couple had been asking for earlier! As I chatted with him, I convinced him to consign the jewelry so that he’d receive more money since I knew the couple would want the ring. So, I called, and they came in and bought the ring,” she recalls.
On another occasion, she was able to help a customer just because she listened to their needs. “I had a couple who’s been customers for many years, and the mom came because she needed $300 for her daughter’s medicine. I picked up the phone and called the pharmacy and we were able to find a solution to get her the medicine she needed for $100.”
“I’m a good listener and I have a storefront where people are walking through the door sharing their stories day after day. It’s what keep me drawn to the business,” Christina says.
“My passion in life is to help others…making other people’s life better one day at a time.”
Learn more about Christina’s store, Jewelry Journey & Co. at www.jewelryjourneyandco.com. Be sure to follow them on Facebook!
