SIGHTS
Tinted windows, bright interior lighting, a long mirror along the back wall, narrow aisles, shelves holding a variety of merchandise (radios, TVs, microwaves, toaster ovens, humidifiers, sewing machines, vacuum cleaners, purses, leather jackets and fur coats, hard drives, laptops, DVD players, stacks of old records), merchandise hanging on pegs on the walls (sunglasses, binoculars, headphones), a glass-top counter containing more expensive goods (watches, rings, chains, cell phones, cameras, tablets, e-readers, gaming systems), musical instruments and equipment (guitars, drums, amplifiers, keyboards, equalizers, brass instruments, harmonicas), framed and signed sports memorabilia, a variety of sporting equipment (fishing rods, surfboards, an archery bow, in-line skates, bicycles and helmets), dolls in collectible boxes, swords and tactical knives, remote-controlled vehicles, larger items (hubcaps, tires and rims, chainsaws, lawn mowers and leaf blowers, car stereo equipment), tools (saws, drills, sanders, air compressors), computers and laptops, a locked safe behind the counter, a magnifying lens for examining merchandise, jewelry cleaner and cloths, wires running up and down the walls so various items can be plugged in, security cameras
SOUNDS
Background music or a muffled sounds from a television show an employee is watching behind the front desk, people talking, customers and employees haggling, phones ringing, a bell chiming when the door opens, footsteps, keyboards clicking, shoes squeaking on the tile floor, employees working on merchandise in the back room, items being pushed aside to make room for new goods, keys jingling as cases are unlocked, heavy goods being removed from shelves and set on the floor for inspection by customers, sound quality tests for customers (TVs being turned up, keyboards played, guitars plucked, microwaves turned on)
SMELLS
Dust, grease and oil (near the tools and machinery), musty air
TASTES
Some settings have no specific tastes associated with them beyond what the character might bring into the scene (chewing gum, mints, lipstick, cigarettes, etc.). For scenes like these, where specific tastes are sparse, it would be best to stick to descriptors from the other four senses.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Dusty boxes, grimy lawn tools, power buttons on electrical devices that stick, carrying something heavy to the back counter so it can be examined, a scratched glass countertop under one’s fingers, the feel of worn bills in one’s hand, tugging at taut guitar strings, running one’s hand along the soft fur of a coat, the heft of a fishing rod in one’s grip, sitting and balancing on a bike to test its size, a supple leather jacket or pair of gloves, hanging a purse over one’s shoulder to see if it’s the right length, flipping through a stack of vinyl records, slipping one’s feet into a pair of skates to test the size
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
Being accused of buying or selling stolen goods
Being a terrible haggler
Dealing with a crook
Desperately needing money and not receiving enough in exchange for the item one is selling
Shady characters that make one feel uncomfortable
Being sold an item that one discovers is broken
Trying to sell an item that doesn’t work or is in some way inadequate and hoping it won’t be noticed
Bumping into someone one knows while trying to surreptitiously deal with a pawnbroker
Accidentally dropping merchandise or knocking over a stack of shelves
A robbery
The pawn shop being a front for criminal activity
The pawn shop owner buying a piece of merchandise and discovering that it was stolen or used in a crime
Angry customers looking to retrieve items their spouses brought in without consulting first
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Customers, employees
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Pawn shops provide a service to the public that enables people who need cash to get it quickly. In one scenario, customers can sell an item that is in good working order to a pawn shop for an agreed-upon price, and the pawnbroker then turns around and sells it in his shop. Another option is to take out a loan on the object; the customer loans a product to the broker for a period of time. In exchange, the broker gives the customer a set amount of money. The customer must return within the specified time period and pay back the loan, plus interest, to get back their item or risk losing it altogether.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Jake pulled a slip of paper from his pocket as he passed the scratched-up jewelry counter and wall of DVDs. This was the third pawn shop he’d checked, and each one smelled the same—a combination of old carpet, motor oil, and takeout food. The latter he expected wafted off the mountain of a man doing his best to murder a helpless stool behind the counter as he tracked customers on a surveillance screen. Jake headed toward the back. Past a lawn mower and a pair of electric guitars, he found what he was looking for: audio equipment. He quickly catalogued brands, dismissing pieces until he came to a small black Bose sound wave speaker with a dinged-in corner. Flipping it over, he compared the serial number to the one written on his paper. A match. His lips flattened. He was going to kill Paul.
Techniques and Devices Used: Metaphor, multisensory descriptions
Resulting Effects: Characterization, hinting at backstory