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NEW YORK (AP) — As the jobless rate inches up and the economic recovery sputters, investors looking for a few good stocks may want to follow the money — or rather the TV, the beloved Fender guitar, the baubles from grandma, the wedding ring.

Profits at pawn shop operator Ezcorp Inc. have jumped by an average 46 percent annually for five years. The stock has doubled from a year ago, to about $38. And the Wall Street pros who analyze the company think it will go higher yet. All seven of them are telling investors to buy the Austin, Texas, company.

Is the economy still just in a soft patch? A hard patch? Will the market rise or drop? Even experts are just guessing. In investing, it’s often better to focus on what you can safely predict, even if that safety is found in companies that thrive on hard times. One good bet: The jobless aren’t likely to find work anytime soon. And companies profiting from their bad fortune will continue to do so.

Among them:

– Stock in payday lender Advance America Cash Advance Centers (AEA) has doubled from a year ago, to just under $8. Rival Cash America International Inc. (CSH) is up 64 percent, to $58. Such firms typically provide high interest loans — due on payday — to people who can’t borrow from traditional lenders.

– Profits at Encore Capital Group, a debt collector that targets people with unpaid credit cards bills and other debts, rose nearly 50 percent last year. Encore has faced class action suits in several states, including California, over its collection practices. The Minnesota attorney general filed a suit in March. No matter. The stock (ECPG) is up 59 percent from a year ago, to more than $30.

– Stock in Rent-A-Center (RCII), which leases televisions, couches, computers and more, is up 57 percent from a year ago to nearly $32. Nine of the 11 analysts covering the company say it will rise further and that investors should buy it.

The idea of investing in companies catering to the hard-up might not be palatable to some people. But it is profitable.

Mark Montagna, an analyst at Avondale Partners in Nashville, has developed what he calls “value retail” index of 11 companies — dollar stores, off-price shops and clothing and footwear chains favored by shoppers looking for deals. The index is up 149 percent since February 2009, which marked the lowest month-end closing value for the S&P 500 during the recession.

Desperation stocks continue to be lifted by a drumbeat of bad news. Consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, has fallen for two months in a row — the first back-to-back fall since November 2009. On Friday, the government reported the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in June, sending stocks in tailspin. On top of that, one in seven Americans now live below the poverty line, a 17-year high.

“It’s been a good year,” says John Coffey Jr., a Sterne Agee analyst, referring to the companies he follows, not the economy. Coffey created a stir late last month when he issued a report arguing shares of Ezcorp (EZPW), which also makes payday loans, were worth a third more than their price and urged investors to buy. The stock rose 7 percent in just a few hours.

The next day a widely followed survey showed consumer confidence at a seven month low.

“Here we are celebrating the second year of recovery and confidence is at levels consistent with a recession,” says David Rosenberg, an economist at money manager Gluskin Sheff. “The folks in the survey are probably not the same folks shopping at Tiffany’s.” (That company’s stock is also up nearly 50 percent since March, to about $82.)

But they probably are shopping at Dollar General Corp. Stock in the discount retailer recently hit $34.13, up 50 percent from its IPO in late 2009. And it may be worth about a third more, at least according Avondale’s Montagna.

“People are broke. They’re all chasing value. It’s a seismic shift in mindset,” he says.

Some experts think these down-and-out stocks are just as likely to fall now instead of rise. It’s not that they think the recovery will turn brisk and people will get jobs and shop elsewhere. It’s that things could get worse — making customers too poor to borrow or buy even from these outfits. Rent-A-Center, the furniture store, is already suffering. Some of its core low-income shoppers have seen money they would have spent leasing a couch or cocktail table eaten up by rising food and fuel bills.

But not to despair. According to Nick Mitchell, an analyst at Northcoast Research, wealthier customers, say those making $45,000, are feeling so strapped lately that they’re starting to rent furniture, too.

Montagna, the Dollar General bull, says he’s seeing people earning $70,000 or more at that chain, too. Even he shops there now.

“If I’m driving past one, I stop in,” he says, adding triumphantly, “I just bought toothpaste — Crest — two tubes for $4.”

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Shopkick Inc., the shopping rewards mobile application popular with big-box chains, is taking on Main Street.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based technology firm is wooing local retailers from coffee shops to bakeries to clothing boutiques in 10 cities, including Chicago, in a bid to expand its reach.

5:39 PM, June 21, 2011
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By RICH CALDER

Brooklyns long-neglected Fourth Avenue could soon resemble its more glamorous neighbor, Fifth Avenue.

The city today unveiled a commercial rezoning plan for Fourth Avenue aimed at enlivening a 56-block stretch that has long been filled with blank walls and auto-body and used-tire shops.

Under the Planning Department proposal, new developments would devote at least half of its space to retail, with the rest occupied by community facilities, lobbies, offices — or more shops and eateries. Parking lots and apartments would no longer be permitted on the ground floor of new projects.

The rezoning plan covers the thoroughfare from Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill through Gowanus to 24th Street in South Slope — a stretch that drivers love to zip by while heading to other locations.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who pitched the changes to the Planning Department, said it would help transform Fourth Avenue into his grand vision for a magnificent lsquo;Brooklyn Boulevard filled with vibrant window storefronts.

Lisa Lauro, who owns a private home on Carroll Street near Fourth Avenue in Gowanus, agreed, saying it would make the avenue a more dynamic, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use corridor.

If this is going to make Fourth Avenue more like Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, it would be great for the neighborhood, and it will certainly make my home more valuable, she said.

Fourth Avenue in the past decade has seen the arrival of a few apartment buildings. The ground floor of some buildings have also recently attracted a few cafes, restaurants and bars.

The plan must be approved by the City Council but has the backing of local council members Steve Levin and Brad Lander.

Do Mom-and-Pop shops still exist in Bentonville, Arkansas, home of the original Walmart?

In the latest issue of The New Yorker, Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton — and the third richest woman in America — tells Rebecca Mead:

I havent ever heard of anything that Walmart hasnt been blamed for. … Look at downtown Bentonville — its a very healthy downtown. Its always been very healthy, and weve always had a Walmart.

There are few issues that provoke emotions so strong — both positive and negative — as those generated by the arrival of a Walmart in ones hometown.

However, the actual Walmart effect is somewhat difficult to pin down.

In 2008, Ronald Wirtz, editor of the fedgazette, a bi-monthly publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, wrote:

Despite a considerable amount of research, a definitive consensus about Wal-Marts effect on local communities is hard to declare. And its not for lack of effort. Arguably, no firm in the history of commerce has been more scrutinized. Business schools routinely analyze successful firms to discover their secrets of success. But Wal-Mart is one of the few businesses routinely, even energetically, put under the microscope to look for its dark side, to determine whether its genes are compatible with a communitys DNA.

Thats not to say there are no conclusions whatsoever from the research. In fact, there are conclusions both damning and supportive of Wal-Mart. This is the likely source of the debates din: When there is doubt or disagreement, talk louder.

With that in mind, lets take a tour of downtown Bentonville — courtesy of Google Maps, the indispensable tool for those working within Minyanvilles travel budget — starting at the worlds first Walmart (now a visitors center), at 101 North Main Street:

There are two restaurants just up the block:

And a jeweler and an Arvest bank — whose CEO is Jim Walton, son of Sam — around the corner:

Across the square, we have the Benton County Courthouse:

Looping back around, we come across a school supply store:

Plus, I Heart NY Fashion and the Phat Tire bike shop:

Until weve come full circle:

So, while independent business activity in downtown Bentonville certainly seems to exist, it appears, as is the case in most small burgs, somewhat limited.

Thank God theres a Walmart Supercenter just up the road.

Its my 49th birthday, Gains said.

Gains and Lumpkin are regulars at the store. Theyre one of my original customers, said sales clerk Michael White.

We come here all the time for electronics and jewelry, said Lumpkin. This is the best place to find TVs.

Pawn shops such as Pawn America, with 22 locations in four states, are attempting to go mainstream in the world of retail.

Although the image still suffers from the stereotype of seedy stores in seedy neighborhoods with down-on-their-luck customers, the new breed of pawn stores has a more modern footprint with uniformed employees and an upbeat welcome to shoppers as they walk in the door.

Pawn America expects to do $63 million in sales this year, up from $57 million in 2010 and $47 million in 2009.

Our success is our branding, said owner Brad Rixmann. Even when the economy is booming, our business is still growing. Pawn stores intrigue people. We have a lot of repeat business because people never know what will be on sale the next day.

Max It Pawn, another Minnesota-based chain of pawn shops, has nine stores in the Twin Cities area and one in St. Cloud.

Max Its 11th store is being built as part of a destination development in St. Pauls East Side that includes a Chipotle, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Cowboy Jacks restaurant and an Honest Auto shop.

Retail experts acknowledge that the new breed of pawn shops is making a dent in the retail landscape, albeit a small one, particularly in a challenged economy where consumers are cautious in their spending habits.

Theyve been very opportunistic from a timing standpoint, said Dave Brennan, co-chairman of the Institute for Retailing Excellence at the University of St. Thomas. Theyve taken the concept of a non-bank bank and expanded it into a value-and-discount retail operation.

Traditionally, pawn shops provide customers money, in the form of a short-term loan or cash – in exchange for goods. In the case of a loan, the collateral is generally held 60 to 120 days before it hits the floor if the loan is not repaid.

At the Pawn America warehouse in Burnsville, for instance, there are rows of musical instruments, motorcycles, snowmobiles and long-playing music albums. Theres space for gold and silver coins as well as Rolex watches and expensive rings.

Some of the goods are from the customers garage and basement, some from grandmas attic.

Some, on rare occasion, are stolen.

State law requires photo IDs for all pawn activity – including selling goods to the stores. The transactions are videotaped, and they also are reported to a three-state law enforcement data base where the goods can be matched against missing items.

The pawn industry is a legitimate business. Unfortunately it provides an opportunity for criminal activity, said Eric Werner, a captain in the operations division of the Burnsville Police Department. As the industry grows, the potential for that will grow too.

Werner said Burnsville has 16 pawn and secondhand goods operations under its jurisdiction. He said more than 100 stolen items in the city were detected by the database last year. Detection of an item stolen three years ago from the home of an attempted murder victim eventually led to the arrest and conviction last year of offenders in the case, Werner said.

If we have a good relationship with a business, then it can serve both of our needs, Werner said.

Pawn store expansion has often been controversial in the Twin Cities. Rixmann battled with St. Louis Park to put a store there, and Max It owner Mark Smith was twice denied a permit by Roseville city officials.

In Fridley, a city ordinance limits the number of pawn shops to the two that currently do business there – Pawn America and Max It.

Its a growth industry, said Capt. Bob Rewitzer of the Fridley Police Department. Rewitzer said transactions at those two stores were up 16 percent in 2010 and are on pace increase in 2011 as well.

The retail floor at Pawn America changes almost daily as goods go out the door. The Burnsville store recently had a run on lawn mowers when spring rains finally ended.

Ahead of Fathers Day, Pawn America had a discount on TVs. But, as with traditional retailers, the peak season starts in October and runs through the Christmas holiday season.

Half of the stores sales are jewelry but a recent runup in the price of silver brought in collection after collection of sterling silver tableware as well as old coins.

Rixmann said the Pawn America demographic is male, age 25 to 40, with annual income ranging from $30,000 to low six figures. With the emphasis on jewelry, Rixmann said more women are starting to shop in his stores.

Pawn America recently began offering an extended service plan that provides buyers with a six-month warranty on goods for 10 percent of the purchase price.

Rixmann said he spends about $3 million a year in marketing with the emphasis on TV and radio.

But Rixmann is trying a marketing experiment with a new store in the Milwaukee area that will be called Exchange Street.

A lot of our business is trading. We want to talk about what we do, said Rixmann, noting that the Exchange Street name moves the store away from some of the negative perceptions of pawn shops.

For years, people said we should just change the name. But we invested a lot of money developing Pawn America and it is very challenging to change that, he said.

Brennan said despite efforts to raise their profile, pawn shops remain low on the consumer radar.

Theres probably a lower level of perception of pawn shops among customers than recycling stores like Play it Again Sports, Brennan said. But in a way pawn shops are like Dollar Stores (with a wide mix of merchandise) and those have become extremely successful.

Spotted checking out everything from clothing to other underpinnings, Kim Kardashian spent some time on Monday shopping at luxurious lingerie house, La Perla. The reality TV star left with a shopping bag in hand â?? we can only wonder what Kim purchased! Was it something for fiancà Kris Humphries? Or perhaps Kim was purchasing a few things for their honeymoon?

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The state Assembly approved the concealed carry bill Tuesday. If Gov. Scott Walker signs the item, adults with permits will be able to carry hidden guns.

Supporters say citizens will be safer, when theyre able to defend themselves. Opponents argue cities wont be safer if more guns are on the street. They fought the legislation for years.

The new law could create additional business for gun stores.

WUWMs Ann-Elise Henzl visited a local shop to learn what a novice gun buyer would experience.

At The Shooters Shop in West Allis handguns are packed into glass display cases. Rifles line the walls. You can hear sounds from the firing range in the basement.

Lately, theres been another common sound here: the phone.

Weve been inundated with calls, says salesman Ben Giese. He says people have been calling a lot, as concealed carry has moved through the Capitol.

This is typically one of our slower months, and business has picked up, Giese says.

Not knowing much about guns, I ask Giese what he would show a customer purchasing one for the first time.

Most people choose to carry smaller firearms, subcompacts and revolvers, so wed start there. See what fits your hand size, because really fit is the most important thing, Giese says.

Its not cheap. Giese tells me the handgun alone would cost about $500.

Now youre going to tack on a good holster — a good leather holster running easily $100 then you need to get some decent ammunition. Then you need, obviously, the training, spare magazines, cleaning kits, range equipment. You can end up spending easily $1,000 just to get yourself kitted out for carry, Giese says.

Giese then offers to show me the stores shooting range, where gun owners can practice.

What are you going to be comfortable with? Have you ever shot anything before in your life? (No) Well take two guns down there. Were going to start you off with a 22, which is a little bit more than a pop gun, and then well probably bring you something like a 9mm, Giese says.

Giese and I walk into the basement where he demonstrates some basics. He instructs me to slightly bend my knees and hold the gun steadily with both hands.

Go ahead and get a good grip on that. You dont necessarily have to bend your arms, do whatever is comfortable. But whatever you have to do to hold that gun out there, remember keep both eyes open and focus, Giese says.

I have to sign a document indicating I dont intend to harm myself. Then Giese hands me noise-canceling headphones and safety glasses, and leads me to one of the ranges seven bays where people can pull the trigger.

Giese corrects the way I cross my thumbs. I end up hitting the targets silhouette a few times.

The experience underscores how hard it is to remember everything Giese told me about the correct way to use a handgun.

Anybody who purchases a firearm needs to be proficient in its use, safe handling. If you buy a gun for self-defense, you carry it for two years and you havent shot it since you bought the gun, youre not going to be as effective as if you come in (and) practice every six months, every three months, whatever works for you. Practice, training, they do make a difference, Giese says.

Shooters plans to offer training for new gun owners motivated to buy because of concealed carry. Giese says knowing when to use a gun is critical — a responsibility gun owners must take seriously.

If you introduce a gun into a situation you cannot take a gun out. If you have a gun on you and theres a bar brawl, lets say, you have choices. You need to evaluate what youre going to do. Are you going to get involved? At first blush, I would say no. If its not your fight, stay out of it. You dont want to introduce a gun into that scenario and now escalate things beyond where they need to be, Giese says.

Giese says he impresses on customers to always treat a gun as if its loaded, and not to point it at anything theyre not willing to destroy.

NAGPUR: Burglars looted four shops including three from one complex at Ganeshpeth area in the city on Monday night and decamped with cash. While they took away Rs 2 lakh from a textile shop under the jurisdiction of Tehsil police, they got few bucks from other three shops at Ganehspeth.

The burglars entered the three shops at Jagat Plaza on Ghat road by opening the shutters of the shops while at Tehsil, they removed the window grill and entered the store.

The shutter was slightly bent and then raised a few feet at all the three shops, which are in a row, said Rahul Agrawal, owner of a metal shop at Jagat Plaza.

COEUR dALENE – With Ford Ironman Coeur dAlene rapidly
approaching on Sunday, local bike shops are prepared for a busy
week.

John Bowman, owner of Mountain View Cyclery and Fitness in
Hayden, said that Ironman season and the summer months keep the
shop busy as folks are either looking into biking or buying the
necessities for transportation on two wheels.

The competitors in Ironman already have their bikes ready to go
when they arrive, Bowman said. For the most part, they are just
looking to buy the odds and ends.

Bowman said bike fittings are one of the stores key sales.
Fittings range from $60 and up and the specific level of fit to a
biker. Bowman said when a person is looking for a bike there are
several elements to take into consideration to create the right
fit. Height, weight and injury history are just a few
considerations.

When people buy bikes through manufacturers or through online
sites and plug in their information, such as their weight and
height, we find that when they bring their bike in to check out,
more than 50 percent of people get the incorrect size, Bowman
said.

Bowman said that Ironman and particularly post-Ironman are busy
times for his store as he called it an inspiration that locals
pick up from seeing the Ironman competitors.

We encourage bikers especially those in Ironman to have a bike
with a carbon-file base, as opposed to aluminum, Bowman said.
With these competitors sitting on a bike between five to eight
hours, having a comfortable seat and quality frame creates less
fatigue, which becomes important once the running portion of
Ironman begins.

Mountain View offers racing bikes ranging from $1,500 to $3,500
and Bowman said thats where most Ironman cyclists should be, but
he said hes seen entry-level bikes at $800 and some individuals
with bikes that reach up to $10,000 or more.

Bowman said the weather has caused business to remain flat this
year.

We arent seeing as many competitors on the race course early
to prepare as usual, Bowman said.

Mike Gaertner, owner of Vertical Earth at Riverstone in Coeur
dAlene, said business has been slower than it would be this time
of year because of the weather, but he said things are starting to
pick up.

Ironman is an important event for the community, Gaertner
said. This event helps locals to get more actively involved in
outdoor activities. They may not compete in an Ironman event, but
even if just to pick up a bike to ride is a big deal.

Gaertner said this year the buzz around Ironman for both local
and out-of-state competitors is the snowpack, water levels and
water temps. Even with the unknown for this year, Gaertner said
Ironman has a positive impact for the community.

Most of the competitors from out of town return every year for
Ironman, Gaertner said. For them this is their habit and
addiction. They love the community.

One thing Gaertner has noticed this year about training for the
big event on Sunday is that it has been more subdued than
usual.

With the weather being as it has most runners and bikers have
been training indoors, Gaertner said. Its challenging for them
as well as for local drivers who need to get reacquainted with
Ironman participants on the roads again.

Terra Sports in downtown Coeur dAlene is in close proximity to
competitors staying either at The Coeur dAlene Resort or other
condominiums nearby.

Alex Castagno, an employee of Terra Sports, said that Ironman
business will start picking up during Ironman week as folks will
buy or rent bicycles.

Castagno said that about 60 percent of business during Ironman
week comes from Ironman competitors, their families and
spectators.

For race day items, the store is stocked with supplies,
including Co2 for bike tires and nutritional bars.

With us being located downtown and so many competitors staying
downtown, its real easy to get to us at the last minute if
needed, Castagno said.

Terra Sports offers a Cannondale Slice bike as its top bike for
sale and that can range between $2,000 to $6,500. The Slice has a
rear-stay micro-suspension system that deflects vertically to
absorb road shock.

While business has remained slow for 2011 because of the wet
spring, Castagno said Terra Sports caters to other individuals to
make up for business. One successful avenue for the company is the
rental of cruiser bikes.

The store offers single-speed cruiser bikes for $45 for a day or
three or more days for $35 per day.

Just like Bowman and Gaertner, Castagno believes Ironman has
meant a lot to the community.

Ironman brings in thousands of people every year, more than any
other event we have, he said.

When it comes to competitive races, Castagno recommends
individuals purchase a road bike first. Most range between $800 to
$8,000.

Castagno added that with the evolution of Ironman Coeur dAlene
the experience of the event creates a desire for people to live
healthier and become active.

Every day I see a person visit the store asking about wanting
to try competing in a triathlon, Castagno said.

She has not yet revealed that name of her babys father, let along if she having a boy or girl.

But January Jones may have inadvertently revealed the sex of her unborn baby while shopping for infant clothes yesterday.

The Mad Men star was pictured selecting a tiny blue onesie at a Target store in Los Angeles.