
You know it’s a sign of poverty when even the pawn shop leaves the neighborhood. The fourth quarter of 1975 was a difficult one for Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, especially the area on Wilson east of Broadway. The Uptown Pawn Shop had moved two miles north to greener pastures just a few blocks south of Loyola. The Bissets Department Store on the corner would be torn town within two months after I took this picture. The neighborhood was hitting rock bottom as the economy was plagued by high unemployment and high inflation. Note the unfinished copy in the sign at the lower right. “Come on over and let us help your…”