Central Los Angeles : Residents Battle Pawnshop

Windsor Hills is a tony part of the Crenshaw district, and to many residents, keeping it that way means getting rid of a pawnshop that opened last month at South La Brea Avenue and Stocker Street.

The county Business Licensing Commission gave the Union Pawnbrokers store permission to sell goods as a retail store, but put off until Aug. 8 a hearing to decide whether to allow the shop to lend money to those who put up their belongings as collateral.

Many neighborhood residents have argued that a pawnshop would draw crime and traffic to the neighborhood, and said they will fight the store’s wish to operate as a pawnbroker. “We’re going to pack [the hearing],” said Tony Nichols, president of the United Homeowners Assn. “We’re extremely upset.”