Last modified: Monday, June 16, 2008 1:10 AM EDT Attleboro Pawn Shop owner Arthur Frye reports that sales have been slow, but many are trying to cash in goods. (Staff photo by Tom Maguire) Economy pinching bargain retailers BY REBECCA KEISTER SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Talk about thrift-store shopping in the midst of an economic downturn and you're presented with a mixed bag. Some say a slumping economy is actually boosting business at discount retailers. Others say it's just the opposite. Both sides, it seems, aren't exactly happy about either outcome. "I've been doing this for many, many years," said Arthur Frye, who owns Attleboro Pawn Brokers. "Everyone's mother always said you should save a few pennies for a rainy day. It's now pouring." Frye's shop, which he has owned for about 20 years, is one business that's suffering in tough times. He pointed out, for example, that a normally busy Mother's Day week slowed significantly. No one was in the shop looking for good jewelry. "Normally, hundreds of people come in," he said a few days before the holiday. "We've had three sales, so far. That's nothing. Very bad." He's had to stop buying a lot of people's valuables because the number of sellers has begun to far outweigh the number who want to buy. "People are selling gold and trying to sell all their toys and things they don't need any longer because of all the costs," he said. "And it's difficult. The cost of living is outrageous." Attleboro Pawn Brokers is far from the only such shop to see a slew of sellers - and among them a high number of atypical clients - looking to cash in on unneeded items to make up for declining discretionary income. Gas and grocery prices are the main culprits behind people's financial concerns. The more those commodities go up - and anxiety rises with them - the easier it is to identify spending trends. Across the country and locally, shops like Frye's report similar consumer behavior. Barbara Brunner, a 30-year volunteer at The Trading Post in Foxboro, said the shop has been through similar ups and downs. They mail out consignment checks once per month, and while they haven't noticed any upswing of people trying to sell belongings, she did say they've had a "continual supply." "The reason we can't note a real uptick in our customers buying is because they're all checking out the new Christmas Tree Shop (on Route 1 in Foxboro)," she said, noting the odd timing of that store's arrival. "But it's a fact that our customers continue to enjoy a bargain with us." More customers are searching for bargains. Take the trend at Ilidia's Custom Designs, a dressmaking shop on Union Street. Owner Ilidia Debrito sells her handmade original dresses and gowns for $200 or more. But she said in recent months more customers have been looking at the dresses on her $50 consignment rack. "My competition is the clearance rack," Debrito said. Two years ago, Janice Hillery opened The Elephant's Truck in North Attleboro, selling maternity and children's clothes. But it's been just over the past two months that she's noticed a sudden increase in sales. She said she's selling a lot of children's clothing, carriages, bassinets and other baby accouterments. She believes moms and moms-to-be are realizing they can get good clothing at less expensive prices. "Children grow so fast and wear clothes for such a short period of time," she said. "We have a good amount of people who are into recycling and reusing, and are happy to bring in their clothes and buy others." Donations aren't up everywhere. While baby clothes generally are limited-use items and warrant getting rid of, people aren't as quick to part with things they would have to replace, said Chris Treadeau, director of operations for Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Archdiocese of Boston, which operates a thrift store in Plainville. Treadeau said a drop in donations has been noticed for the last couple of years, and that store revenue is down. That might be contrary to what some would imagine - that there are not more people shopping at that thrift store. "I think there is a false logic to what happens when the economy takes a hit," Treadeau said. "People think that people will come to our store and shop more because they don't have the money to go to a regular store. The truth is that our customer base is primarily mid- to lower-income, and those are the income levels most impacted by a change in monthly budget." It's an emotional issue for the self-funded store. While its regular customer base still is coming in, they're simply not spending as much, Treadeau said. "They're just not coming as frequently, and our average per sale has dropped," he said. "We've had to adjust to it and continue to provide the same quality. Hopefully, you just push through it." Frye's outlook is a bit more bleak. His customer base actually has shifted during the economic downturn, and he now sees more retirees coming in - often looking to sell things to pay for everyday necessities, including medicines. "It's people who are 60- and 70-years-old. Good, honest, hard-working people. This is America, and these things should not be happening," Frye said. "It's very difficult. We see people we'd never see. It's not a healthy situation. But those are the facts." Rebecca keister can be reached at 508-236-0336 or rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.