Mary Pawn Shop

The shop is located right in Pondy Bazar, specifically on the Kottiyal T.Palur Vazhi side. It’s been here for quite some time, and we’ve seen the neighborhood change a lot. As a pawn shop, we see all sorts of people coming through the door. Most are just looking for a bit of help to get through the month. We take in gold jewelry and other small items that have some value. It’s a serious business, so we have to be very careful with the paperwork and keeping everything safe in the back. The counter is old wood and it’s seen a lot of transactions over the years. We keep the ledger updated by hand mostly. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s a necessary one for the folks around Pondy Bazar. Some days it’s very quiet and I just sit and watch the people walking past outside. Other days, there’s a line and everyone is in a hurry. We try to be fair with people because we know them from the area. It’s just a small family-run type of thing. We don’t have a big staff, just a couple of us here every day from morning until we close up late. The lights stay on long after the other shops have shut their doors sometimes. It’s just how things go when you’re running a place like Mary Pawn Shop.