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Pawn Shops vs Payday Loans in Charleston, SC
8 pawn shops in and around Charleston — 3.8 per 100,000 residents, compared with 3.2 across South Carolina. Call ahead to ask what they're buying and lending on today: inventory needs change weekly. Charleston ranks #13 of 24 South Carolina cities with pawn shops by shops per resident.
- Pawn shops
- 8
- Pawn shops per 100k
- 3.8
- South Carolina: 3.2
- Big-chain shops
- 1
- Payday & loan stores
- 21
- Population
- 208,163
Pawn shops in Charleston: addresses and phone numbers
| Pawn shop | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash America PawnChain | 8530 Rivers Ave North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 553-1966 | firstcash.com |
| Gene's Jewelry & Pawn | 5818 Rivers Ave #B North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 744-5744 | genespawn.com |
| Lowcountry Pawn & Jewelry | 1738 Ashley River Rd Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 769-5500 | charlestonscpawnshops.com |
| Mega Pawn and Jewelry | 5654 Rivers Ave North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 747-4690 | shopmegapawn.com |
| Money Man Pawn | 2030 Remount Rd North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 737-5323 | firstcash.com |
| Money Man Pawn | 2097 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 769-7296 | bamthemoneyman.com |
| Money Man Pawn | 450 Meeting St Charleston, SC 29403 | (843) 577-9111 | firstcash.com |
| Money Man Pawn | 824 Folly Rd Charleston, SC 29412 | (843) 762-7999 | firstcash.com |
Pawn shops vs payday loan stores in Charleston
Charleston has 21 payday, installment and title loan stores but only 8 pawn shops.
Pawn shops
8
3.8 per 100k residents
Payday & loan stores
21
10.1 per 100k residents
11 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in Charleston: TitleMax (4), 1st Franklin Financial (2), Check 'n Go (2), Lendmark Financial Services (2), Mariner Finance (2).
Borrowing $500 for one month: payday vs pawn vs credit union
| Option | How it works | Cost for one month |
|---|---|---|
| Payday loan (~391% APR) | $75.00 fee every 2 weeks, renewed once | $150.00 |
| Pawn loan (example: 20% a month) | You leave an item worth more than the loan; repay to get it back | $100.00 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR + $20 fee) | Repaid in installments; membership required | $31.67 |
- Payday cost, share of monthly household income in Charleston
- 2.1%
- Pawn cost, share of monthly household income in Charleston
- 1.4%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.7 days of income
Payday: the SC maximum — $75 on a $500 loan for 2 weeks, paid twice for a one-month loan. Pawn: an example rate of 20% a month; pawn fees and interest are set by South Carolina law and vary by shop — ask for the total in writing. PAL: payday alternative loan from a federal credit union, capped at 28% APR plus an application fee of up to $20. Income: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Pawn loan vs payday loan: the key differences
| Pawn loan | Payday loan in SC | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An item of value (jewelry, gold, electronics, tools, firearms) and an ID | A bank account, proof of income and an ID |
| Credit check | None | Usually none |
| How much you get | A fraction of the item's resale value | Based on your income, up to the state limit |
| If you can't repay | The shop keeps the item; no collections and no credit damage | Fees pile up with renewals; the debt can go to collections |
| Bank account access | None | Lender can debit your account or cash your check |
| Rules in South Carolina | Pawnbrokers are licensed and regulated by South Carolina; fees, terms and holding periods are set by state law | Allowed, up to $500; typical APR ~391% |
Charleston at a glance
- Median household income
- $84,177
- South Carolina: $69,406
- Poverty rate
- 13.7%
- South Carolina: 14.4%
- Households under $25,000
- 14.3%
- South Carolina: 17.7%
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.7 days of income
Payday and installment loan stores in Charleston
For comparison: storefront payday, installment and title lenders in Charleston with addresses, phone numbers and hours.
| Address | Phone | Hours | Google rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1735 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 852-9610 | — | 5.0 |
| 1738 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 763-0044 | — | 5.0 |
| 5973 Rivers Ave North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 529-3643 | — | 5.0 |
| 761 Folly Rd Charleston, SC 29412 | (843) 795-2412 | — | 4.9 |
| 1890 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Ste 116 Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 573-9980 | — | 5.0 |
| 8988 University Blvd Unit 106 North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 824-5550 | — | 5.0 |
| 2000 Sam Rittenberg Blvd #110 Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 769-5633 | — | 5.0 |
| 8316 Rivers Ave B Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 553-8989 | — | 4.9 |
| 1662 Savannah Hwy Ste 130 Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 628-1023 | — | 4.4 |
| 7800 Rivers Ave Ste 1210 - A North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 553-5724 | — | 4.5 |
| 1660 Sam Rittenberg Blvd #8 Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 766-4660 | — | 5.0 |
| 6185 Rivers Ave Ste D-1 North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 747-4001 | — | 4.5 |
| 1836 Ashley River Rd Ste k Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 556-6556 | — | 4.0 |
| 6185 Rivers Ave Ste A-1 North Charleston, SC 29406 | (843) 553-5868 | — | 4.2 |
| Sunbelt Credit 1669 Savannah Hwy C Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 556-4737 | — | 5.0 |
| 946 Orleans Rd Unit F-6 Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 577-3220 | — | 5.0 |
| 170 Meeting St Ste 110 Office # 202 Charleston, SC 29401 | (843) 804-8610 | — | 2.3 |
| 611 Burroughs & Chapin Blvd, Ste 208 Myrtle Beach, SC 29403 | (843) 380-2050 | — | 5.0 |
| 1604 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 571-1827 | — | 4.9 |
| Savannah Hwy B Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 573-0530 | — | 4.7 |
| 1669-north, 1669 Savannah Hwy Charleston, SC 29407 | (843) 573-0530 | — | 5.0 |
Pawn shops near Charleston
More about Charleston
Pawn shop listings: © Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive 2.0), including Foursquare OS Places and © OpenStreetMap contributors; filtered and de-duplicated by us. Population, income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Call ahead to confirm hours and what a shop buys or lends on.