Broke. (2009) Online

An interesting portrayal of an often-overlooked fragment of society. You find them in the shady segment of communities; neighborhoods where they are a need. It is that need that gives off the seedy perception to pawn shops. They enable addicts and crooks. They pray on the down trodden.

Many arguments can be made for both sides of the pawnshop coin. This film is about neither. It is about veiled humanity. While Mr. Woolfson is blunt to his customers, he does so in a neither a judgemental nor a condescending way. Many he sees over and over, knows their stories, their addictions. While he admonishes them, he never talks down to them.

When someone walks with their prized possessions and pride into a pawnshop and pawn's them in order to put food on the table he counsels them with dark humour.

While a lot of pawn shops are trying to 'clean' up their act and maintain an esthetically pleasing shopping experience, David Woolfson's shop is a character in itself. It is crammed, floor to ceiling, inch after inch of wall space, with STUFF. It seems he takes in much, much more than actually leaves.

Watch this film and hopefully you will walk away with a different perception, but if nothing maybe a little compassion.

***As a side note. In early 2010, after filming, David Woolfson was beaten by a hatchet in his store. 3 customers found him unconscious and called 911. He has survived and has since sold the store.