Pawn shop now open in Tinley Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Gold is the top item being seen at Tinley Jewelry and Loan since the pawn shop opened a few weeks ago at 7112 W. 171st St. in Tinley Park.

Indeed, while interviewing owner Rich Clousing (pictured in Tinley Jewelry) on Thursday, a woman walked in and asked Clousing to look over a handful of assorted gold items she inherited from her father.

“They might be gold fillings,” she says. “I just don’t know what they are or what they are worth.”

They get a lot of customers like that, Clousing says. “Pawn shops have been buying gold for years. We’ll still be buying gold long after the ‘We Buy Gold’ stores and TV pitchmen disappear.”

But the store in a strip center across from Jewel-Osco also has shelves filled with DVDs and electronics. A display case shows off watches, rings and other jewelry. There’s even a set of golf clubs in the corner.

“We are the first and only pawn shop in Tinley Park,” Clousing says with a hint of pride. “We provide a service people can’t get anywhere else. Will a bank give you a $200 loan until the end of the month?”

Clousing says pawn shops have traditionally offered bridge loans to people who are strapped for small amounts of money.

“Our average loan balance is $100,” Clousing says. “And I charge half of what a payday loan costs. Plus, I don’t attach myself to your bank account or report you to a credit bureau. Collateral loans are strictly between you and me.”

Clousing says loans are made for 30 days and terms can be extended. “In theory, the loan could be stretched out indefinitely. But I wouldn’t suggest that. I’m not a mortgage company.”

Tinley Jewelry is a family operation with Clousing’s wife and daughter also working in the shop.
Business has been good so far, Clousing says. “People have been stopping by to check us out. One of the first things they say is, ‘It’s so clean’.”

What about crime concerns?

“Pawn shops are fully regulated by the state,” Clousing says. “I file daily reports with the Tinley police. We videotape everything all the time,” he says pointing to cameras in the room. “Thieves just don’t come to pawn shops. They know they would get caught.”

Tinley Jewelry is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The phone number is 708-444-2425. The Web site is Tinley Jewelry and Loan.