The Cooper family has been in business for 44 years - 30 of those years as Trader's Pawn Shop, located at 2880 Havendale Blvd. Winter Haven, FL 33881. 

         "We were in the furniture business for 14 years and then branched out into Cooper's Mini-Self Storage, along with our commercial rental business," explained Rodney Cooper, manager of Trader's Pawn Shop. "We started Trader's in 1985." Rodney ran the business with his father, Robert Cooper, who has now retired. Rodney has been in business with his father since he was very young.

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         "When Rodney was 4 years old, he would come and hang out around the store all the time," Robert said. "He didn't seem to want to go home." "We are a bargain hunter's paradise. People tell us that every day," Rodney said. "We sell everything from tools to diamonds, and at a fraction of what you would pay retail." 
         
          Trader's Pawn Shop has become a landmark on Havendale Blvd., with 17,000 square feet of merchandise. The store has a tremendous variety of articles for sale: TV's, DVD players, CD's, DVD's, camcorders, digital cameras, rod and reels, power tools, bicycles, guitars, and playstation games to name a few.

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           "When we started the business, my dad and I believed that if we gave our customers the best deals in town, they would keep coming back," Rodney said. "It seems to have worked really well for us."

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           The Cooper's also have two other businesses in the same area: a mini-storage facility and commercial rental space. However, Trader's is the main business that takes up most of the Cooper's time and attention. "We are the working man's bank," Robert said. "We will loan $5 to $5,000 in five minutes on almost anything in value."

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