Mayfair groups say
no to Cash Converters

by David J. Foster
Staff Writer

It's not a pawn shop.

It doesn't loan money or cash checks.

Cash Converters, an international franchise (400 stores in 22 countries) booming in Australia and Canada, buys and sells high-end "used" merchandise, giving parents a place to sell the guitar Johnny played for two weeks then dumped in the closet.

It's also a place Billy's parents can pick up a guitar (previously owned) and avoid spending big bucks before junior's interest fades.

Cash Converters was created for the middle class shopper without the ready cash for a major investment like a home computer or $100 sports equipment. It was designed, believed franchisee Dr. Saul Levit, for Mayfair, specifically the Mayfair Shopping Center, Levick St. and Frankford Ave.

But Mayfair's civic, business, and town watch groups want no part of it.

During a contentious meeting last week at Vitale's Restaurant, Bustleton Ave. and St. Vincent St., civic leaders questioned every assertion made by Paul Barry, Cash Converters' chief operating officer.

Their major fear: that a store specializing in buying used merchandise will give thieves a place to sell stolen goods.

"I can't say that there never will be any stolen merchandise brought into the store," said Barry.

But Cash Converters' policies are strict. You must be at least 18 years old to sell an item, must show two forms of identification (one with a photo), and you must sign a declaration of ownership. Every transaction is video taped.

"We turn all that material over to police every week or every day, whichever the local police wants," said Barry. "We do not in any way want to be involved with buying stolen merchandise.

"We work very closely with local police. For instance, most police departments tell us about stolen merchandise. They have even asked us to purchase stolen merchandise."

"So why would you want to bring that into our neighborhood?" asked one woman.

By describing the store's safety precautions, Barry raised the specter of criminals waltzing into the store with televisions under each arm. The video presentation run before Barry's address appeared to have little impact.

The video, produced as an aide in selling franchises, gave those gathered their first peek at a Cash Converters store. The sales floor was clear and clean, and the "system" state-of-the-art. It could be confused with any other discount retailer. This did not appear a murky pawn shop.

"Our fellow tenants love us," a store spokesman said on the tape. "We generate a lot of traffic."

"Instead of holding a garage sale, or putting an ad in the classified papers," Barry said, "you bring your merchandise down to the store, and we pay you in cash or put it toward something you would like to purchase."

"But part of the charm of Mayfair are the yard sales and the flea markets. It's not just buying and selling," said Mayfair Civic President Lynn Rotoli. "We don't want that taken away.

"The very fact that you need to video tape puts you in the same category as (a pawn shop)."

Minutes later, Rotoli and other Mayfair Civic members walked out.

The controversy erupted weeks ago when news spread of Cash Converters interest in the shopping center. Neighbors protested to the mall's developers, First Washington Management, Inc. The mall's representatives and Cash Converters officials decided to invite the civic groups and City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6) to a meeting where Cash Converters hoped to dispel the misconceptions.

It wasn't successful.

According to First Washington sources, Dr. Levit has not finalized the Mayfair move. An Australian franchisee with the first right to develop the Philadelphia market, Levit planned to open in one of the mall's vacant storefronts.

For now, everything is on hold.