Pamela V. Brown
Write Path, an L.L.C.
Kauai Business Report, January 2004
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Pamela V. Brown Write Path, an L.L.C. |
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Kauai Business Report, January 2004 |
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Pawn Brokers with Heart |
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By Pamela V. Brown LIHUE - As a former police sergeant, Mel Rapozo used to think that pawn shops were dirty places where criminals sold stolen items for drug money. But when he and Duane Souza opened Kauai Metals and Pawn in Lihue nearly six years ago, Rapozo learned how lucrative a pawn shop can be and how helpful the service is for people who are having temporary cash flow problems. |
Pawn Brokers Mel Rapozo (left) and Duane Souza display some of their "bling-bling." Photo by Pamela V. Brown |
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Rapozo and Souza decided early on not to do business with drug addicts or people trying to unload stolen merchandise. With nearly 40 years combined years on the police force - Souza is a retired cop - both men can smell trouble from a distance. "After years of that stuff you can identify the ones with drug problems and those who are just plain old thieves," Souza said. Despite state laws that require anyone pawning an item to provide a
fingerprint, an ID and to be at least 18 years old, criminals still
try to peddle their wares at the shop. As bluntly stated in a Hawaii
Pawnbrokers Association notice to customers, the precautions " .
. . keep all but the most stupid of criminals from using our
services." "If the guy comes in with a camera and you ask him how to work it and he just stammers, you know already it's not their camera," Souza said. Souza, who runs the day-to-day operations of the store, has no patience for law-breakers who cross his threshold. "Duane has kicked people out of here," Rapozo said with approval. "If he thinks it's stolen merchandise or if he thinks the guy is using it to buy drugs, he kicks them out. He's still police at heart." Souza and Rapozo welcome people who just need some cash to get them through a rough spot, like some of their regular customers who are seasonal employees, or hotel workers who have been laid off. Goods are purchased by the store for far less than their retail value, then held out of public view for 60 days, during which customers can return to bail out their belongings. Rapozo said they have a 62% pick-up rate, but would love to get it up to about 70%. If customers don't come back, the items are put on sale to the general public - usually. Sometimes Souza holds items in the secret back room for a little longer than required, in the hopes that the owner will return. "There's stuff in there we know is valuable to people," he said. Souza and Rapozo have learned that there are many reasons people want to pawn their property - sometimes to pay for things as basic as the electric bill or rent. Souza said he can tell the difference between a drug-related need for cash or if it's just plain starvation. Though he likes to come across as a hardened ex-cop, the hard luck cases melt his heart. But don't cross him. "If I find out you're not feeding these kids (with the money), your butt is mine," he said. The "stuff" that comes in the door at Kauai Metals and Pawn runs the gamut, as does the range of customers. On a recent day, the store offered for sale small items like DVDs ($10 apiece) and music CDs, to power tools, a family of tikis, golf clubs, a complete stereo system ($100), cameras, several guitars in excellent condition, two ukuleles and a recently-arrived beautiful mandolin crafted in Portugal. And of course there's the jewelry - a pawn shop's mainstay. There are necklaces, jade and gold bracelets including Hawaiian heirloom style with the prior owner's name rubbed off, pendants, charms and watches. And many wedding and engagement rings, evidence of broken relationships, "or broken something," said Souza. People who bring in diamond rings from failed relationships often have no desire to see them ever again - "bad juju," said Rapozo - but the store is still required to hold items for at least 15 days to make sure they're not stolen. Customers are paid on the spot, so if an object turns out to be hot, the shop is out the money. The men haven't been taken too many times over the years, their well-honed police instincts having served them well. Such as the time a visiting couple came into the store looking for a $30,000 platinum and diamond ring and earring set that had been stolen while they were honeymooning here on Kauai. Shortly thereafter a young man came in with the goods, saying he "found" them on Loop Road. Once Rapozo had the items in hand, Souza checked a list of things recently reported missing. "Once we told him it was stolen, he took off," Rapozo said. The duo turned the jewelry over to the police - "If it's stolen, it's not for us to give back. We have to give it to the police," Rapozo said. The police notified the visitors, who were eventually reunited with their baubles. Both men said there may be fewer chances in the future to connect people with their missing objects, because drug dealers now provide pawn services to their clients, basically trading drugs for stolen jewelry. With pawn shop prices far below retail, the store can be a bargain-hunter's dream. Take the case of the woman who brought in a ring sporting a beautiful solitaire diamond in excess of one carat. She told Rapozo that her boyfriend broke up with her but because he wouldn't take the ring back, she figured it was fake. Rapozo tested it and to her surprise, it was genuine. He advised her to sell it elsewhere so she would get more for it than the pawn shop would pay, but she was more interested in being rid of it pronto. It appraised for $17,000. The shop sold it to a lucky buyer for about $3,500. There are some things Souza and Rapozo just can't take. No guns allowed. And you can keep your cars and motorcycles - yes, people have tried to pawn them. One of the store owners' few frustrations has been the lukewarm interest from the Kauai Police Department in working together to catch bad guys. Even though the men won't knowingly do business with criminals, crooks are still drawn to the store in the hopes of making a quick buck. "If I was still working (at KPD), I'd be in here every day," Rapozo said. During the store's first few years in business, many people - on both sides of the law - thought it was a sting operation. In fact Rapozo initially offered to do an 18-month sting operation with the police department - he asked only to be reimbursed by KPD for what the store paid to take in stolen goods - but no one took him up on the offer. "I can guarantee you we would have arrested hundreds of people," he said. Sgt. Kaleo Perez, who is assigned to KPD's detective division, said the pawn shop owners have been helpful tracking down jewelry thieves and recovering stolen property. But Rapozo would like to see more involvement by the police department. By state law, pawn shops are required to fill out a report in triplicate for each item taken in - one of the copies is specifically for the police department's use. The stack of reports for the police is gathering dust on a shelf. It's been more than a year since any KPD representative picked them up, Rapozo said. "I've never seen those reports," Perez said. "I think we need to have our administrators get together with them and go over a protocol and have a working relationship." Rapozo is hopeful that this comes to pass. "If we work together, they (KPD) would be surprised how much we can do," he said. The other thing that frustrates both Souza and Rapozo is how little they can do to truly help people who come in the store hooked on drugs but wanting help to quit. The men have pamphlets available near the door for various social service agencies. Souza makes lots of referrals to people and places who can help customers begin the recovery process, like Crystal Meth Anonymous. "A lot of times there are people who really want to talk to somebody," Souza said. "Family problems, drug problems. I've had some guys thank me for the referral. They come back and say 'I'm clean now and trying to make it.' Even the ones who know you're a retired cop, they come to talk to you." Rapozo said he wishes there was a drug treatment facility on island to help people when they're ready to make a change. "It's so rough when they come in here, you just wish there was somewhere to go," he said. "At least we can provide them with some pamphlets. It's so neat when you see them take one." Pawn brokers with heart.
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Contact Information: Pamela V. Brown (808) 651-3533 cell (808) 821-1027 fax |
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"Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art." --- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Proverbs in Prose |
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