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People are pawning more and buying less in Huntsville in the wake of the government shutdown that has now reached into a second month, at least according to one pawn shop manager. “Sales numbers are down in general and loans are up,” Matt Vinson, who manages Family Jewelry and Loan along Memorial Parkway, told AL.com. “So 10% down when it comes to sales; 10% up when it comes to loans. Normally, people are starting to ramp up for Christmas, and that has not started yet.” AL.com spoke with other pawn shop owners or managers in Huntsville, many of whom declined to comment or to go on the record. One employee at a jewelry pawn shop on University Drive recalled conversations with a few people bringing in materials who told her it was because of the government shutdown. A manager at a store located on Memorial Parkway said the company is experiencing exactly what Vinson described: declining sales and increased pawning. Hundreds of thousands of government employees are going without pay across the country because Congress has not reached a funding agreement. Many of them work at Redstone Arsenal, which hosts many federal government entities and contractors. Huntsville Business Journal estimates that 13,000 people could be affected in the Huntsville area. That represents more than $100 million in lost wages, with uncertainty surrounding back payments and about $46 million in reduced local spending. ‘Using hardworking Americans as political pawns’ The political rhetoric around the shutdown is growing. Congressman Dale Strong, R-Monrovia, has accused Democrats of “using hardworking Americans as political pawns,” in a statement to constituents on Friday. “Today marks day 31 of the Democrat inflicted government shutdown. A full month.” Strong said. Strong has refused to collect a paycheck while the impasse continues and has continued to point the finger at Democrats for refusing to agree to end the shutdown on his party’s terms. “Democrats in Congress have voted 13 separate times now to keep the government closed — in a desperate effort to revive their leftist agenda that voters soundly rejected, and innocent Americans are suffering every day as a result," Strong wrote. “While Democrats continue to play political games, I want you to know that I voted for the common-sense funding measure that would have kept our government operating and ensured that there were no interruptions to military pay, veterans’ benefits, or other essential services. Instead of following suit and keeping our government working, Democrats are using this as an opportunity to pursue their own partisan agenda.”
