Outside Looking In

Looking in from the street late on a Friday afternoon.

The "Cornerstone of the business"

The repo man will take your car if you are delinquent on your personal loan payments.

Down the list

This woman is trying to find the money to pay the bondsman to get her boyfriend out of jail. She needs the money within the next half hour, or they can't help.

Mystery over fact

One of my favorite pictures. Peering back over the counter. Looking in, with me looking out.

The Cage

They call it the cage; I like the lines in this picture. Check cashing is their primary business for most people.

A Long Day in a Long Life

Another favorite photograph. Waiting to have their checks cashed by the ever-rapid staff of AAA Check Cashing. Each person is a regular customer.

Holiday Spirit Inflated

The counter area is more festive and seasonal than you expect. It really is a community service that is performed, and not something of back alleys.

Reflection over Reality

This is my favorite photograph of the series. It's a reflection over his reality, and over our own. I got this image after coming back upstairs after all the customers had left; this is what was there.

Preparing

This is Lorealla, who skipped court and didn't pay her bond. The bondsman has until February to turn her back into the police to avoid paying the $30000 bond. We went out looking for her this night.

Tell me again?

At the counter, there is always something to be explained.

Donna's Wall

Some of the people that work here also live here. This is Donna's wall, in her room. It is filled with scripture, phone numbers, and bail agent contacts.

"Do you want to see the money?"

This was the answer to the question if I wanted to see the money. She dumped a couple bags of cash onto the floor and stepped back for me to make the image. With my 18mm lens, I could also have her in the image with out her knowing it.

End of Day

Every month, they cash around $300,000 in checks. They take 3-10% off the top of that as profit, so a bad check every now and then doesn't do much to them.

Community Service

This man is trying to get his girlfriend out of jail. They take him downstairs to qualify the bond, if possible.

Qualifying the bond

He brought a $1000 check from his girlfriend to use for the bailbond fee, but they can't verify that the funds are in the account, so they won't take the check and in the end, can't help him.

Buster

Buster the dog. Don't get too close to him, because he doesn't like you. This image speaks to the overall environment.