31,400+
loans written since 1994
Family-run on Maplewood Lane
A pawn shop that treats
your item like it's yours
Most people who walk through our door have never pawned anything before. So we slow down. We tell you what your piece is, what it weighs, what the metal is worth today, and what we can lend on it — before you commit to anything.
Your loan runs for 30 days with a 30-day grace period, and everything we hold sits in a UL-rated safe under camera. Miss a date? Call us. We would rather extend than sell.
“We have never once put a customer's item on the shelf without calling them first. That is the whole business.”
Who is behind the counter
Three generations of
the same family
Ray Okonkwo opened SWP with one display case and a jeweller's loupe. His daughter Ada runs valuations now, and she still uses his loupe. Between them the counter has seen a Civil War sabre, a Stradivarius copy that fooled two auction houses, and about forty thousand wedding bands.
Every appraiser here is trained to GIA diamond-grading standard and re-tested annually. If we cannot authenticate something, we say so instead of lowballing you.
Ada Okonkwo
Head appraiser & owner
1994
Same corner, same family
First time pawning something?
Four steps, about fifteen minutes
Nothing here is a surprise, and you can stop at any point. Walking out with your item and no loan costs you nothing.
-
1
Bring the item and a photo ID
Driver's licence, state ID or passport. The law requires us to record it on every transaction — that protects you as much as us.
-
2
We appraise it in front of you
Metal tested, stones graded, serials checked, watch movement opened. You see the scale and the screen. Takes five to ten minutes.
-
3
Take the cash and your ticket
Two numbers on the ticket matter: what you got, and what you pay to get the item back. Both are printed before you sign anything.
-
4
Come back within 30 + 30 days
Pay the ticket and your item comes straight out of the vault. Need longer? Pay the finance charge and we write a fresh 30 days.
Every item is logged with its description, serial number and your ID, reported to the local police department, and held a minimum of 30 days before it can be resold. It is why stolen goods do not end up here — and why your pledge stays traceable and protected.
IL-PB-4471
State licensed
Fully bonded
Surety & insured
GIA trained
Diamond grading
NPA member
Since 1998
Why people drive past two other shops
Straight numbers, written
down before you decide
You will get a printed ticket showing the item description, the loan amount, the monthly finance charge, the redemption total and both key dates. Nothing is verbal. Nothing changes after you sign.
State law caps what a pawnbroker can charge, and we publish our rate on the wall and on this page. If another shop will not tell you the redemption total up front, that is your answer.
Licensed & bonded
State pawnbroker licence IL-PB-4471, surety bonded and audited yearly.
Insured in our vault
Every pledged item is photographed, tagged and covered to full appraised value.
From the ticket book
What customers tell us
Every one of these is from somebody who walked out of the shop with cash and came back for their item.
Gold is near a record high. Your old chain is worth more than you think.
Bring in any broken, single or unwanted gold this month and we will pay 5% over our posted scrap rate — tangled chains, odd earrings and dental gold included.
