Vice: You look pretty happy there with your smile and your spiffy cowboy shirt. I bet you’re making a killing.

Tony: People aren’t selling?
What is the craziest thing someone’s tried to pawn?
And you didn’t buy it? What’s wrong with you?

Do you ever have people come in and say, “I found this ring in my grandmother’s closet, will you buy it?” And then you have to play it cool because it’s worth a million dollars and you want it on the cheap?
Do people have a pretty good sense of how much their shit is worth?
Do people ever get violent? Have you ever had to call the cops?

So how does it work? Pawnshops give the cops an inventory of everything they buy?
Is there stuff that comes in here that you later find out was stolen?
Why are other pawnshops so sketchy? No one would talk to me.

 

Vice: Has the economic slump affected business?

Terrence Smith: Do you think people who are losing their jobs know that your service exists?
I’m willing to bet my gallbladder that most of your inventory is jewelry and gold.
But this place looks empty. Where’s all your stuff?
Do people bring in a lot of stolen goods?
What’s the stupidest thing someone’s tried to sell?

How’s the future of the pawnbroking business looking?
What do you think will happen if you guys disappear?

CONTINUED:
A PAWNSHOP IN… New York | Mexico City & Brussels | Amsterdam & Vienna | Paris & Milan | Berlin & São Paulo | Helsinki & Barcelona | Melbourne & Tokyo | Vancouver & Aukland | Stockholm & London |