The Cash City story began in the early 1980s, when Mum and Dad started a second-hand shop in Clayton Street, Bellevue.

In 1992, Mum, Dad and Brett moved into pawnbroking in Guildford, buying a pawnbroking premises from the previous operator, Trader Micks. From there, the family established Guildford Pawnbrokers, later renamed Cash in a Flash, and eventually Cash City — a name Mum came up with.

Mum, Dad and Brett were the founders of Cash City in Guildford, and that original pawnbroking business became the foundation for what followed.

Later, other members of the family became involved in pawnbroking and established their own Cash City stores. Brett now operates the Guildford, Midland, Morley, Kelmscott and Northam stores. His brother John and John’s wife Pina operate the Balcatta and Joondalup stores, while his sister Emily and her husband Bruce Stockdale operate the Cannington and Belmont stores.

Bruce has also developed software for the pawnbroking industry, combining practical industry experience with technology designed around the needs of pawnbrokers.

Although the stores are operated by different members of the family, Cash City is a name the family shares, with its beginnings firmly rooted in the original Guildford pawnbroking business founded by Mum, Dad and Brett.

Mum is still involved in the business today and remains an important part of the Cash City story.

Brett and Mum also travel to the United States each year to attend the major American pawnbroking convention, something they have been doing for the past seven years. It keeps them connected with the wider pawnbroking industry, new ideas, technology and developments overseas.

For the family, pawnbroking is more than simply a business. It has been part of family life for decades.

From a small second-hand shop in Bellevue to Cash City stores across Western Australia, a lot has changed over the years — but the family history behind the name remains the same