King of Trade on Second Street SE is having its closing sale as it prepares to shut the doors for good after Saturday.--News Photo Fernando Moreno-Prado
mhnews@medicinehatnews.com
FERNANDO MORENO
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The King of Trade will be retiring from the throne this summer. The owners are holding a retirement sale in preparation for closing day on Saturday.
This downtown business opened in 1998 and became one of the most prolific and long-lasting pawn shops in the city. “It’s been a staple of the community,” says Adam Holder, a sales associate who has worked for ten years and now looks forward to an open-ended future for himself.
“I’ve learned more here than I could probably have learned anywhere else.”
After taking ownership of the store in 2007, Dave and Norma Brown will be retiring. There is now a discount on every item in the store with respect to this. “I’m sad to see it close but I’m very happy for them,” says Holder in regards to it being a deserved retirement after so much sacrifice.
“They’ve been great bosses.”
The shop has catered to multiple interests and had wide variety of merchandise over the years. They’ve had a selection of musical instruments such as guitars and amps, they’ve offered a selection of electronic devices and movies, video games and video game accessories, jewellery, watches, and they’ve even had a selection of books and collector’s items such as statues and action figures. “We would go the extra mile to make sure that everything was as good as it could possibly be,” says Holder.
“Everything’s clean (and) everything’s above board.”
The shop has also engaged in loans.
“All the customers we’ve had have been super sweet, super nice people,” recalls Holder in how the store was a place where staff could be counted in. He adds that people from the neighbourhood to people from outside the city were known to visit. In addition. there were frequent discounts and breaks given on some of the prices.
This pawn shop has made an impression on the community over the years. From running ads on local TV listings channel over 15 years ago to participating in some form or another in all the major downtown core events such as Downtown Spectrum and Midnight Madness. “It’s been a very fun and exciting time,” says Holder. “It was a friendly environment and nice place to come.”
King of Trade is currently located at 541 Second St. SE and people may call at 403-527-8370. Any further updates will be posted on the Facebook page.
“Dave and Norma have been an absolutely fantastic couple to work for,” says Holder. “They’ve been a phenomenal boon to the community.”
