Prized possessions for sale in stressed economy

Sell your broken gold
Signs adorn the windows of the Roseville Pawn America shop.
MPR Photo/Chris Farrell

We asked people in Minnesota Public Radio's Public Insight Network to talk about making the tough decisions on getting rid of things they care about.

We heard from people like Jonathan Stimes of Burnsville, who lost his job as a radio sales executive six months ago and needed money to pay the mortgage. So, he turned to some gold coins given to him as a gift from his father for working on the family farm years ago.

Jonathan Stimes of Burnsville
Jonathan Stimes of Burnsville talks about how difficult it was to part with a gift of gold coins to help make ends meet.
submitted by Jonathan Stimes

Stimes said he was unprepared for the emotion that came with the sale.

"I was not prepared for the sense and the feeling of my dad saying, 'I'm here for you still,'" Stimes said, choking up. "He was an exemplary father and I'm appreciating him more and more each day. There is still a few more coins down there that my mom says I can come and get, if I want. I'll do everything humanly possible to keep those."

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While many who responded talked about possessions you might find in a safe deposit box or a closet, Daniel Swenson-Klatt of Minneapolis had a far larger possession -- his coffee shop.

The business he started three years ago was "taking care of itself, but not the family."

With a daughter looking to attend college, Swenson-Klatt said he is now giving himself a deadline of June for the business to improve. Otherwise, he said, he will sell.

Daniel Swenson-Klatt of Minneapolis
Daniel Swenson-Klatt talks about his ultimate possession - his business - and how he must decide whether to keep it or sell.
submitted by Daniel Swenson-Klatt

But it won't be easy.

"What I have here is a connection to a community and that's an odd possession to hang on to," Swenson-Klatt said. "But it would be something to give up by not being here. I know my neighbors. They come in here, we talk. They know what's happening, this is a gathering space. And not being here is something I feel I would have lost."

Swenson-Klatt said that in recent weeks the business has picked up, and he's hopeful that he will not have to sell.

Chris Carlson of Mound has a business of his own related to selling possessions. He initially parted with some construction equipment to pay off some bills. Eventually, the shedding of possessions became a habit. So much so that he now has a side venture selling other people's construction equipment.

Warehouse owned by Chris Carlson
Chris Carlson once sold his equipment for cash. Now he has this second warehouse to sell other people's equipment.
submitted by Chris Carlson

Demand in these troubling times for Carlson's service is high. And he adds -- as a sign of his newfound frugality -- that he has a new e-mail address, which includes the starting phrase, "onepersonstrash."