VIDEO: Pawn shop business booming amid soaring costs in Florida

Fort Myers, Fla. (CBS) - Thanks to the price of gas, food and rent, business at pawn shops is booming.

People are selling what they have to pay their bills.

"Sadly, with the economy and everything in the uptake, fuel prices, inflation and everything. Yeah, we've seen a lot of new faces, we've seen a transition," says Jose Leyva who works at Larry's Estate Jewelry and Pawn on 41.

He's been in the business for more than 20 years and said the last 6-8 months have been tough on his customers.

"It hurts, it hurts sometimes, because you hear some of the stories and, and it touches your heart."

Used to be - people would come in - looking to find that rare treasure.

Now, people arrive hoping to sell and too often take what they can get to make ends meet any way they can.

"You want to help everybody, but there are times that we just can't help everybody. So, we help who we can," says James Boyes who is a disabled Veteran going through all of his tools.

"I know a lot of people are bringing in merchandise they normally wouldn't sell or pawn. In my case, I have no need for my power tools anymore."

The shop's popular items to sell are jewelry, guns and electronics.

Torrence Robinson came to sell his Amazon tablet.

He got a lot less than he hoped for.

"He didn't give me like 100 bucks. But he gave me enough for me to go do what I got to do."