03 June 2010

A Good Sign: Gramercy Pawn Brokers


Saw this old pawn shop among the bars and restaurants along Third Avenue in the 20s and 30s. A relic. Used to be tons of them on this strip.


Wonder if this is one of the pawn shops that Ray Milland stumbled past in "The Lost Weekend."

Amusingly enough, just next door to this business of last resort is this:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This building that houses the Pawn shop is odd as it had the cheap
hotel in it.
Also funny that your image of
the pawnbrokers sign is it self
broken, in any event I have had
a Post Office Box at the Madison
Square P.O. on that block for 40
years, I look into that pawn shop
everytime I pass by and have never
ever-
1. Have never seen a customer in there.
2. Have not seen anything in the
window change in 15 years like
the cheap Bongos and yes cassette
player radio and other things no
one in their right mind would wish for.
The LL held out with a corner property on 24th street and 3rd avenue for these many years with
all of the above.

I won't even say what the cheap hotel might be like, but I think
it is for young foreign tourists .
That wish to rough it and save money,looks like you have to provide your own toilet tissue,soap
and bedsheets.

petersmith said...

Pawnbrokers are great for selling just about anything of value. A few years ago, I had some gold and silver jewelry from my grandparents that they had given me. I wasn't using it, so I took it to the Pawnbroker and was able to get a good deal for it. It was great to have the option of selling it, since it was just collecting dust.