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Im <br />A� <br />Pawnint; to make ends m�eet <br />Lisa F'urgison, reporting * lfurgison@twelve.tv <br />As soon as the doors open at Cash N' Pawn in Crystal, people are <br />waiting to come in. <br />It is a sign of the times," manager Barb Fasching said. "We have <br />seen a dramatic increase in business." Overall, business is uip by 40 <br />percent at the Crystal store. People like Arlesia Robinson are behind the boost in <br />buisiness. <br />"I had some hard times," Robinson said�. Recently, she needed some fast cash to cover <br />some of her bills. "They really dicl help me out," she said�. "I'm only 21 years old and I <br />have a baby and a lot of bills and I ju�st needed a little help." She pawned a ring for a <br />cou�ple hundrecl dollars to pay the bills. She is not alone. <br />"We're seeing more middle class people, where it used to be the more blur collar <br />workers coming in," Fasching said. "Now we're seeing small buisiness owners get loans <br />becauise of the cruinch in the houising market." <br />Fasching says people are pawning everything from gaming systems to flat screen TVs. <br />Bust the most common item to pawn lately is gold, since its valute recently tripledd. "That <br />makes a suibstantial difference in ouir business," Fasching said. It has created a frenzy of <br />people coming to the store." <br />Some gold pieces are worth $150 more than they were last year, making it a little easier <br />for people like Robinson to part with their jewelry to make ends meet. <br />"When youu're pawning something I think that the price that they give you is fair," <br />Robinson said. <br />