A “Pawning Party” What Is It And How Does It Work?  Wendy Wortham Explains The “Pawning Process”

It is well known that we offer estate liquidation services for folks who can no longer afford their storage units or, are downsizing and need to sell their stuff.  From estate liquidation services to “Pawning Parties,” these Texas Twins are often involved in fundraising along with our standard event services that include wedding ceremonies, baptism, house blessings, funeral ceremonies and more. 

When Virginia came to me regarding liquidating her two storage units, the Texas Twins Events Team whipped into action loading up her items and bringing them to my garages to sort them.  Advertising the sale to my numerous affiliations on social media and Craig’s List, we sold nearly all of her items and donated the rest to Goodwill. 

What is a “Pawning Party?” Well friend, if you don’t have any money to pay your rent due to job loss or illness- you’ve got to figure out how to raise those funds.  We come in with pizza and soft drinks and advertise your “sale” to generate the shoppers and liquidate your assets thereby raising money for you.  How do we get paid?  We take 20% of the profits to organize your event and auction your items.  When orchestrating a liquidation event- the terms are the same however, we keep the unsold items and donate them to charities. 

When people come to me with no idea how to raise money- I help them by giving insights on how to get shoppers interested.  A 30 year history of selling and refurbishing items gives me product knowledge that the average consumer doesn’t possess.  Why? Because most people have no idea of the resale value of their stuff.  When you take trades for services- you had better have some idea of what your “pawning” and what you can sell the item for and, I do.  In 2009, I opened an eBay store to sell my own possessions during the second year that my real estate developer husband, Matthew Wortham was unemployed which we now call the real estate crisis.  Going from an upper middle class income to struggling on my income put me into a “survival mode” of raising money to pay our hefty mortgage.  I successfully sold my jewelry, furs, couture clothing and all of our furniture to “save the farm.”  My beautiful items amassed from a twenty year modeling history effectively “came in handy” when we had nowhere else to find money.  I’m a survivor and as a survivor, able to evaluate and execute a plan for folks who face similar situations. 

I’m interviewed frequently regarding how and why I started a wedding and events business that evolved into taking trades for services and how I sell the items to recover expenses and generate revenue.  My sister sites Texas Twins Treasures and Texas Twins Events-Wedding and Event Services are how this “whole business got started.”  You see, initially offering low cost services and ceremonies brought to me families who had no money too.  Finding ways to help these folks while still generating revenue took planning on my part and the ability to “expand my brand.”  

Many of you wonder how the “pawning process” works.  A video documenting the Dream Event of Lisa and Terry Williams gives you a better idea of a day in my life with my saucy sidekick and twin sister, Cindy Daniel along with my multigenerational family Meet The Pawning Planners- Wendy Wortham and Cindy Daniel documents how families come to me with a request or “Dream Event” but have no money.  While my twin sister and I obviously have a good time doing what we do- we are also helping families that no one else is going to help hence the term “Dream Event.” 

Did folks think I was crazy when I initially started my Texas Twins Events Business?  You betcha!  Even my own family couldn’t see the future of where this business would take me and later, they realized the gift of what I was doing and joined me in my quest to give “anyone regardless of their income the opportunity for a Dream Event.” 

   
For the many families we have helped these past four years, I created an affordable alternative to traditional price structures that directly targeted the low to middle class consumer who would never have been able to afford “traditional pricing of $10k and up.”  You see, the truth behind the average wedding cost is that the average person can’t afford it! 

      Items offered in my storefront are often in a state of disrepair when I acquire them.  Having a creative imagination to stain and refurbish them is key when “flipping” the item after the “Pawning Process” has begun.  Flipping furniture takes time and elbow grease.
Texas Twins Events and The Pawning Planners Process evolved based on demand and my client base.  Being able to evolve and “roll with the flow” is key to my success in this industry.

While I’m frequently interviewed as to how and why it happened, my answer is simple- I saw a need and found a way to meet that need by reinventing and rebranding myself as many times as necessary to make it work for me, my family and our client base.

I don’t have any competition for a very basic reason- my competitors take cash, check or credit cards period.  Being willing and able to “do it differently” created a window for everyone who wasn’t able to “whip out a check.”

Creating my own inventory of wedding bouquets, boutenniers, centerpieces, columns, camera equipment and everything ease necessary to pull it all together along with my family to help me was necessary when families had no money to hire a photographer or buy flowers for their event.

Overcoming any and all barriers wouldn’t “come easy” unless you were a survivor.  My passion comes from perseverance and for me the joy of the journey is the families we meet, the people we help and our desire as a team to make this world a better place.

Wendy M Wortham