La Familia

At La Familia, we’re all about giving back. Whether it’s extending the best loans to our valued customers or holding great promotions to help you save on the items you want, we try to go above and beyond to show not only our appreciation, but that we care about our customers and community.

Since the holiday season is all about giving back, we decided to take it up a notch this month beyond making Christmas a little brighter for our customers. That’s why La Familia has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Eatonville for their annual holiday “Adopt-a-Family” program. Over the next few weeks, our store managers, SLAs and headquarters staff will be pitching in to donate items for a family of five that otherwise won’t have gifts under the tree. The children – three girls and two boys, ages five through 16 – aren’t asking for much. They all asked for clothes and shoes, a couple of the girls would like candles, the youngest wants “princess fairy dolls,” and the boy requested a PS3 game. We’re thrilled to imagine how excited these children will be on Christmas morning to find that their simple gift requests are placed under a lit tree.

But it’s not only our staff that is making this family’s Christmas a little brighter – it’s you. Without our loyal customers who contribute to our company’s growth day in and out, we wouldn’t be able to help out a family in need. So, next time you take out a loan or stop in to purchase a TV, you can smile knowing that you helped us help four children have a Christmas they didn’t imagine was possible.

We at La Familia thank you for being part of our family – and enabling us to help out another.

Have you ever walked into a store, seen an item you really want, checked the price tag and walked out disappointed because there’s just no way you could afford it at that moment? Of course you have – haven’t we all? And if you’re like most people, you probably ran the price through your head, tried to figure out a way to make it work and sighed in exasperation over the fact that even though you didn’t have the money at that moment, you could in a few weeks – when the dress, piece of jewelry or new TV you want will be off the store’s floor.

At La Familia, we understand this dilemma well. Which is why we now have a layaway program to help our customers get the items they really want and need.

We know, we know: Everyone seems to be getting on the layaway bandwagon these days. Even Wal-Mart recently implemented a limited holiday layaway offer – restricted to toys and electronics – that has a $5 service charge and requires a $50 minimum of purchases. But our program is better. Why? Glad you asked.

- We do layaway year-round. See something you like tomorrow? You don’t need to rush to pick it up before the holidays. Just come back in 60 days to pay it off and it’s yours. (And if you participate in our “Christmas in July” promotion, you have until December to pick up merchandise.)

- Our program isn’t restricted just to certain items. As our customers know, we offer a diverse selection of merchandise – from jewelry to household goods to tools to kitchy items – and it’s all eligible for layaway.

- It’s the most cost-effective layaway around. At La Familia, we’re all about giving our customers the best deals – and our layaway is no exception. The program is free and only requires 10% down. Plus, take into account the fact that our items are priced lower than many traditional retail stores, and that all adds up to HUGE savings.

So, while you’re waiting for your next paycheck, but really need to knock some items off your holiday shopping list, swing by La Familia and ask about our layaway program. Or stop by after the holidays – because unlike some of our competitors who are extending holiday promotions, we’re here to help you year-round.

Holiday shoppers, put on your game faces because with Thanksgiving just days away, it’s almost time for the mobs to descend upon your favorite stores to fight and claw over items and deals. (Because there’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit, right?) While we at La Familia will be getting started with extending special deals a little early this holiday season – beginning with our “Why Wait Wednesday” promotion on November 23 – we realize that most of you will still be dragging yourselves out of your homes on Black Friday in an attempt to save some pennies.

As our customers know, La Familia helps people save on items every day – we laugh in the face of other stores’ one-day-only Black Friday sales. So, we decided to make the holiday season a little brighter for all of you by reducing coveted items even further each day between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. Through our “25 Days of Christmas” promotion, different types of merchandise – from video game systems to jewelry to tools – will be dramatically discounted every day. And for the grand finale: on Christmas Eve day, all gold will be sold at wholesale prices throughout all of our 19 stores.

So, forget about the Black Friday crowds and plan your holiday shopping strategy by referring to our daily deals during the “25 Days of Christmas.” Refer to the comprehensive list below for each daily promotion or check our Twitter and Facebook (Florida or Puerto Rico) pages if you need a reminder. And, don’t forget: even on non-discount days, La Familia always gives you the best deals and lowest prices on the items you need.

Happy holidays and happy shopping!

La Familia’s 25 Days of Christmas

November 26^th- Guitars- 35% OFF

November 28^th- Apple Products- 35% OFF

November 29^th- Mobile Phones- 20% OFF (prices starting at just $4.99!)

November 30^th- PlayStation- 35% OFF

December 1^st- All Silver Jewelry- Buy one, Get one FREE

December 2^nd- All Necklaces- 35% OFF

December 3^rd- All Bikes- 35% OFF

December 5^th- Nintendo Wii- 35% OFF

December 6^th- Watches- 20% OFF (prices starting at just $5.00!)

December 7^th- All Musical Instruments- 35% OFF

December 8^th- DVD players for $9.99

December 9^th- Car Audio Equipment- 35% OFF

December 10^th- All Tools- 35% OFF

December 12^th- All Rings- 35% OFF

December 13^th- All Cameras- 20% OFF (prices starting at just $9.99!)

December 14^th- All Computers- 35% OFF

December 15^th- Home Stereo Equipment- 35% OFF

December 16^th- DJ Equipment -35% OFF

December 17^th- GPS Navigation Systems- 35% OFF

December 19^th- All Video Games- 35% OFF

December 20^th- All DVD Movies- $1.00

December 21^st- All Bracelets- 35% OFF

December 22^nd- Xbox 360- 35% OFF

December 23^rd- All TVs- 35% OFF

December 24^th- All Gold Jewelry sold at WHOLESALE prices!

*Store inventory may vary. Prices while supplies last. Some exclusions may apply.  May not be combined with other offers or discounts.

Halloween? So last week. It’s time for the holidays!

Nevermind that we still need to get through Thanksgiving (I mean, all you really need for that is a turkey, some veggies and a bottle of wine, anyway, right?), stores across the country have set up their Christmas displays and are gearing up for an influx of seasonal shoppers. And with the National Retail Federation predicting that people are going to be hitting stores earlier than ever this year in search of the best deals, you’d better get cracking. Luckily for you, we already know where you can get the lowest prices on your Christmas shopping this year: La Familia!

By popular demand, we are pleased to announce that we’ll be bringing back our “Why Wait? Wednesday” promotion in all of our stores on November 23  – so you can get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping without the headache of Black Friday crowds. Whether you’re looking for new or used items, we have it all: stereo system equipment, musical instruments, electronics, iPhones and iPads, bikes, miscellaneous memorabilia and – of course – a diverse jewelry selection. And if things are a little tight this year, don’t forget that we are always here to help you get a little extra cash to make sure that your kids will still wake up to find something under the tree on Christmas morning.

To make sure you’re getting the best deals and promotions we have to offer, don’t forget to watch us on Facebook and Twitter – we’ll be announcing both planned and spontaneous deals throughout the holiday season. We’d also love to hear what kind of deals you’d like to see in La Familia stores – our goal is to make the holidays a little brighter for all our customers, so leave comments and tweets to let us know what can bring holiday cheer to your homes this year.

Happy shopping!

Happy Halloween from La Familia Pawn and Jewelry! Our team members had some fun today and broke out their best Halloween costumes. Check out some of these spooktacular photos!

What did you all dress up as this year?!

Pawn Stars might be a runaway hit show that gives people mini-history lessons on some of the kitchy items that customers bring in to sell and pawn, but it doesn’t tell us much about the history and inner workings of the industry itself. And – believe or not – pawning has a long and storied history. We thought we’d share some of the interesting tidbits we’ve learned along the way about where our business comes from – and how it’s evolved to become the industry we know today.

- Pawn shops are old … like, really old. The first pawn shops emerged in Ancient China more than 3,000 years ago as a way to extend short-term credit to those in need – though we’re guessing they probably didn’t look much like our sleek stores or carry computers. The business model was picked up by western civilizations – like the Ancient Greeks and Romans – shortly thereafter. Just like today, these early pawnbrokers were highly regulated by government and other authorities to ensure that customers were always treated fairly.

- The Dark Ages saw the collapse of the Roman Empire and the pawn industry. Despite a period of steady growth, the industry halted in the Middle Ages, due to interest restrictions put in place by the Catholic Church.  (We can’t believe that wasn’t in our history books, next to the section on Constantinople!) These rules relaxed in the 14^th and 15^th centuries, as short-term credit loans became a primary source of funding for new business endeavors in Europe.

- Even kings and queens used pawnbrokers. Can you imagine Kate Middleton walking into a La Familia store with some of her royal jewels? Neither can we (though that would be pretty cool!), but plenty of royals throughout history have pawned items. Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her jewels to fund Christopher Columbus’ trip to the New World and both King Edward III and Kind Henry the V did the same to fund wars with France. Those silly British monarchs and their constant wars with France.

- Pawning was often set up as a way to distribute charitable funds. In 15^th century Italy, a Franciscan monk set up the first charitable pawn shop, offering no-interest loans on collateral in exchange for donations to the Catholic Church. The practice spread throughout Europe and, in the 18^th century, pawnbrokers were set up as charitable funds that offered very low interest rates to help the poor curb debt. And  — believe it or not – because the most valuable items that the poor owned at this time were clothes, articles of clothing were the most commonly pawned items at these shops.

- Banks might fail … but we’re always still around to help. When the banking industry collapsed during the Great Depression, people across the United States were unable to get the money they’d deposited. Many of them flocked to pawn shops to get cash – and probably wouldn’t have survived if pawning wasn’t available.

There’s tons of interesting information on the history and evolution of the pawn industry and a quick search on Amazon can give you some good recommendations on books that can tell you more. Of course, if history isn’t your thing, you might just want to stop by one of our stores for some good, old 21^st century shopping. The Ancient Greeks might have developed philosophies we’ve studied for thousands of years, but they definitely didn’t have a world-class selection of electronics in their shops.

There’s a reason why we have “jewelry” in our name: Because La Familia isn’t just a place for all your pawn needs – we’re a jewelry retail chain, too. We’re probably not the first place that comes to mind when your favorite gold chain breaks or you need to pick up some new earrings to go with your fabulous new dress, but we offer most of the services you’d receive at Jared or Kay – for a fraction of the price. And, unlike walking into a regular jewelry store where the salespeople are more concerned with making a sale than meeting your needs, we know our customers and can help find them the perfect items.

So, why come to La Familia for all your jewelry needs? Here are a few of our service “gems”:

- On-staff gemologist and trained SLAs. As any of our customers who have pawned or bought jewelry at one our stores can attest – we know our stuff. In addition to training our SLAs to understand the ins and outs of the jewelry biz, we have a full-time, on-staff gemologist who works hard behind the scenes to make sure that the “best of the best” hits our store floors. He researches the hottest new trends, puts together appraisals and secures interesting pieces that La Familia offers exclusively in our service areas.

 - In-house jewelry repair. Rather than stare at that outdated pair of earrings or confine your broken necklace to your jewelry box, bring it into one of our stores. Our in-house jewelry repair people can do everything from placing stones into newer, nicer settings to fixing warped links in watches and necklaces.

 - Jewelry replacement and layaway programs. Just because you walk out of our doors doesn’t mean we see you as a “done deal.” We offer a jewelry replacement program that serves as insurance on any item you buy and comes with a “trade-in” guarantee. So, if a stone falls out of your new pendant or you lost weight (You go, girl!) and need a ring resized, we’ll fix up your piece for you. We also have a layaway program, in case you see the perfect item for that special someone, but can’t buy it quite yet.

 - A diverse selection. Since our customers sell and pawn so many different types of items – and we’ll take anything – we often have a selection of quirky, off-beat pieces of jewelry that you won’t be able to find in a regular jewelry store. So, whether you’re looking for a Tiffany bracelet or a ruby-encrusted gold brooch from grandma’s closet, we’ll have something for you.

 And, of course, there’s one, even more important reason why you should come to La Familia for all your jewelry needs: Because we treat you like family and genuinely care about satisfying our customers. Can you think of a better incentive than that?