HOLY COW... a pawnbrokers is branching out into buying and selling livestock.
The Exchange on Lord Street, Wrexham, is to cultivate a more agricultural side to its business by trading animals including cows and sheep.
And it is also getting involved in the sale of puppies – although none of the animals will be kept at the store.
Exchange owner David Picken, 45, explained: “This was the suggestion of a friend of mine. He said it might be a good idea.
“I had a think and decided it was worth taking a look to see if it is a service the public would be interested in.
“If people want to sell livestock they can come down with a trailer and we will take a look at the animal, or we can go out to make a visit.
“From there we would make an offer and if that’s acceptable, do a deal.
“I don’t know how successful it is going to be. We will give it a go.”
Mr Picken said a colleague of his had farm land where the animals would be kept and cared for before The Exchange would sell them on to a new owner.
In December the Leader reported people in Wrexham had been offering a wide selection of unusual items to The Exchange to cover the cost of Christmas.
The haul of items that people have tried to offload included a 1920s machine gun, a Hitler youth knife and a Rolex watch worth £4,000.
At the time Mr Picken said: “People will bring in anything and everything. It’s heart-wrenching to see but that’s just the nature of the beast.
“Even wealthy-looking people come in and say they are three months’ pay away from being on the streets.”
The Exchange, open for just over 12 months, has already paid out for a quad bike, a bayonet and a newspaper cutting from 1912 which reports on the sinking of the Titanic.
Mr Picken has also paid for medals from Second World War veterans and from soldiers who have returned from Afghanistan.
Concerning the sale of dogs, Mr Picken said: “We would be an intermediary. We would have a list of people interested in a particular breed of dog and if anyone came in trying to sell that type we could put the two parties in contact with each other.”
Mr Picken said The Exchange regularly has people coming in offering dogs for sale.
Manager Chris Darbyshire was so taken with one little puppy he decided to buy her himself.
“A young man came in with the pup in a bag. Chris has bought her for £50 and sometimes brings her into work. He has called her Dallas.”