Economy Exchange . . . MILESTONES 50 Years Of Pawntastic Deals! Story And Photo By Dave Hall
Mark Bradac, Owner of the Economy Exchange, poses with some of his merchandise in his shop at 857 Wyandotte Street East in Windsor.
Mark Bradac, Owner of the Economy Exchange, poses with some of his merchandise in his shop at 857 Wyandotte Street East in Windsor.
F Congratulations to St Clair College on turning 50!
LOCALLY OWNED!
Rachel Charron Commercial Art, 1985
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or most of the past 50 years, Mark Bradac has worked at the Economy Exchange, a pawnshop and family business started by his father Milan in 1967 in front of the old Windsor Arena on Wyandotte Street East. “My dad was a Doctor when he came here, but he didn’t have a good command of the English language so he became a Radiologist instead. But, over the years, he accumulated so much stuff that he decided to open a store so he could sell it,” recalls Bradac, who was nine years old at the time. “I could barely see over the counter, but I remember these 90-year-old guys sitting on milk crates and selling stuff,” he laughs. “My dad was old school and believed in child labour so I worked there throughout school with John, my older brother.” He goes on to say with a smile, “I remember one of the first sales I made was a pair of skates to an old Italian guy. He was back within an hour, yelling that he wanted his money back. They were both left feet and from then on, I checked.” Now, the store is located at 857 Wyandotte Street East and it’s full of coins, jewellery, musical instruments, tools, antiques, collectibles, gold, silver and diamonds, all sold by people in need of cash. “It’s a recession-proof business — in bad times, people sell and in good times, they buy,” says Bradac. And it’s shed much of the stigma of past days when many people thought pawnshops were a haven for stolen goods. “We’re heavily scrutinized now because we have to record ID and videotape every transaction, so a pawnshop is the last place to try and unload something shady,” says Bradac. B IZ X M A G A Z IN E • M A Y 2 0 1 7
“We’re legit and we always have been, which is why I’m likely the poorest pawnbroker in Canada.” Bradac took time off from the business between 1975 and 1981 when he was a guitarist with Teaze, a well-known Canadian band which toured with Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult and Meat Loaf, among others. In its heyday, the band achieved four gold records and earned a Juno nomination. He came back off the road in the early ’80s and took over the store fulltime in 1988. Bradac earned some national notoriety between 2011 and 2014 when he was part of Pawnathon Canada, a TV show on the History Channel, which is still in reruns. Unfortunately, it isn’t likely coming back with fresh shows, according to Bradac. There are stories aplenty, of course. “One year, we came into possession of a Tibetan urn, which had once been given to the Canadian Ambassador to Tibet,” says Bradac. “Legend has it that Tibetan urns contain either prayers, stones or the ashes of the Dalai Lama. When we got it, it was empty, but the guy who sold it to us claimed he smoked some stuff that was wrapped in a shroud at the bottom so who knows?” Bradac’s son-in-law Charles Kotsis is largely running the shop today, but he is very thankful to the local community for their past and future business. “It’s been a great run and I’m forever grateful to Windsor and our customers who have supported us over the years,” he expresses. Keep up to date with the latest items on their shelves by liking their Facebook page under “Economy Exchange Pawn Shop.”