EL PASO, Texas – In the bustle streets of the border city El Paso, you’ll find a plethora of places to shop just a few blocks from the bridge to Juarez. Most of these shops have your typical everyday needs and tourist trinkets, except for one pawn shop with a peculiar cluster of crazy items.
That’s where we met David Delgadillo. He’s been managing this quirky collection of off-the-wall items for 13 years.
While you’ll find your typical pawn shop essentials – gold, guitars, and gear works – you’ll find a few things that might give you goose bumps.
Originally opened in 1950 as a military surplus store, Dave’s dove into pawning in 1953 and began purchasing peculiar and funky items in the 60’s.
One such item was their Fiji mermaid, part fish, person, and bird.
“Imagine to find something like this when you are in the lake,” said David.
Just like anything in a pawn shop, you can purchase the Fiji mermaid or any of the other oddities orbiting the shop, such as their resident mummy. It can be yours for only $14,995.
“Well, somebody walked by and said, ‘Hey, I have a mummy.’ I said, is it your mother? Your grandmother? He said, ‘No, no, I’m serious, It’s a mummy.’ I said, let’s take a look,” David said. “He brought it to us and it’s right here. The only one here in El Paso and the whole Texas, I think.”
One thing after another sparked our curiosity and interest in the eclectic store – and then David pulled a finger out of the window, that keeps pointing customers their way.
“This is the thing we have, for everybody asking. And they come in all the time to ask you for the finger,” said David. “Well, Pancho Villa’s trigger finger. I say, the finger it’s something else.”
Pancho Villa is the symbol of Mexico’s revolution 100 years ago. He was a bandit, general, and hero to many in Mexico. His lore apparently landed his finger in a box, in a pawn shop, in El Paso. It can be yours for the low, low price of $9500. We asked David if he’d gotten any offers on the dubious digit.
“No. Not yet, not yet,” David said. “Can I wrap it for you?”
We’re good, David.
Browsing is always free at Dave’s Pawn shop, so the next time you need a spooky, kooky stop on The Texas Bucket List, just poke on over to El Paso – but be sure to keep your hands where you can them.
“I think they have to come into the store, this store, because it’s part of the El Paso, Texas,” said David. “We can find everything here, different stuff, unique, and it’s amazing. An amazing store.”