After being in Boynton Beach for six years, the Coin and Jewelry Exchange has moved to the city of Atlantis at 5852 S. Congress Ave.

With the economy struggling more than ever, owner Jay McHugh said people are selling more and more of their unwanted gold and silver jewelry.

“Problem is they are not buying,” he said. “You need both sides of the business to be successful.”

Many of the past Coin and Jewelry Exchange clients, sellers and buyers, may have questioned where their Boynton Beach staple, which was located on Congress Avenue, had gone. It simply moved a few miles north.

The move was also into a storefront. In Boynton, it used to be located in an office.

McHugh said he might see 200 people per week stop in the store to sell and buy jewelry, but mainly to sell.

Times are tough and people are looking for quick cash to pay bills and settle debts.

Mary Beck is one of those people who said she needs to be more liquid. She has been looking to get rid of a few gold watches and some diamond jewelry just to pay utility bills and the mortgage on her Boynton Beach town home.

“Times are tough right now,” she said. “I’m a teacher just looking for work and believe things will get better. I don’t want to sell to a pawn shop and get almost nothing for my jewelry.”

The exchange is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Read more about this story in the Sept. 9 issue of the Boynton Forum.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.