A newspaper clipping explaining the struggles of Asheville's first pawnshop after getting loans became significantly easier.

Leo Finkelstein's family has it roots in Lithuania, but his father had to flee after hitting a Russian soldier on the head. After living in various countries, he settled in Asheville according to the advice of a doctor and opened up a pawnshop on Main Street.

Photographs and newspaper clippings from Leo Finkelstein's life and family.

Leo Finkelstein displays his incredible talent as a storyteller and historian through his letters and diaries that he wrote throughout his life. This notebook contains stories about WWII, pawnbroking, and Asheville in the twentieth century.