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Steve Raggio, co-owner of Bayou State Pawn & Jewelry, joins Discover Lafayette to share the remarkable story of his dual life as a successful business owner and newly published poet. His book, Heart Talking, Inspiring Poems for the Soul, has quickly become a best-seller in its category and has touched hearts across the country. “If I can touch just one person in getting closer to God by reading the poems…it’s worth it to bring joy into their life,” Steve shared.
Steve’s journey into the pawn business started unexpectedly. “I was two years into college…and I was looking at ads in the paper and it said manager trainee, no experience necessary…so I pull up to it and it was Big State Pawnshops back then…so I pulled up and I said, uh oh. What? Pawn shop? I said, what the hell? But I used to trade marbles and stuff when I was a kid. Let’s try this out.”
Eventually, Steve and his brother Jeff opened Bayou State Pawn in 1986 on Johnston Street in Lafayette, later adding a location in New Iberia. “Two months later, we opened the first store on Johnson Street. Our family were all supportive. My father cosigned the loan for us to get it started.” Over the years, they built inventory from garage sales, electronics from other pawn shops, and sheer hustle. “We built it up from ground one.”
Bayou State Pawn serves everyone: “There are two aspects of the business. You either buy stuff or sell, or you can do a pawn loan, which is where you bring in your merchandise and borrow money, and you come back and pick it up. Jewelry, musical instruments, guns, lawnmowers, bicycles, everything.”
Yet it’s his book of poems that is stealing the show. Inspired during a time of personal healing while staying at his camp on False River, Steve found that poetry offered him a way to let his emotions out. “These poems just started hitting me in the head. It was like I’d be looking at the water or something, and it would just come to me and I’d write a poem in 3 to 5 minutes.”
He adds, “A lot of them have ‘start a new day, make a new start.’ I end up with a lot of them because a lot of people are looking for a new start. It’s never too late.”
One short and powerful verse reads:
“The son has come to brighten your day,
to shed light as you make your way.
Start your path to touch someone’s heart.
Bring joy to their life so they can make a new start.”
Steve’s reflections on the value of expressing emotions are powerful: “We all hold a lot of stuff in…you just have to get it out, you know, whether it be journaling, whether it be writing…or talking to somebody…once you get it out…it frees you up.”
He encourages aspiring writers: “I’ll say go for it…any avenue like this to get what you feel or what you want to say out…it’s a big healing process, because everybody’s going through a struggle or they’re going to go through some kind of struggle.”
Heart Talking, Inspiring Poems for the Soul features 175 short poems and is available at https://www.steveraggio.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.
And for those wondering about pawn shop curiosities he has seen through the years? “Elephant tusk. And they came back and picked those up…we had an old Egyptian parchment that came through, and they picked that up, too.”
Ultimately, Steve hopes his work leads others toward peace and faith. “If it helps some people get closer to God and then make everybody more kind and compassionate towards each other, this world will be a better place.”
