The Pawnshop

Manny Fernandez: The gold hoop earrings were $250, more than a third of Michelle Maynard's rent. She bought them anyway, and treasured them, but wore them for only two months.



One rainy afternoon in April, she decided to give up the earrings to get something back, and took them to Jay Rosado. He examined them for a moment, then set them on a scale. Minutes later, Ms. Maynard was handed $80.



Mr. Rosado runs a pawnshop in the South Bronx. It is easy to think the worst about someone who walks into a New York City pawnshop, long supposed to be a den of thieves, addicts and the downtrodden, and the swindlers who take advantage of them. But the New Yorkers who frequent pawnshops often want…