There are lots of shows on television today about buying and selling things at pawn shops, auctions, even abandoned storage units. But of all the shows out there, there might be one that is the most “real”. It’s only natural that show, Hardcore Pawn, would air on TruTV, which is known for reality shows that get a little “too real” at times.
If you don’t know, Hardcore Pawn takes viewers behind the scenes at one of the country’s largest pawnshops, American Jewelry & Loan in Detroit, MI, owned by the appropriately named Les Gold. Working for Les are his son, Seth; his daughter, Ashley; and his trusted manager, Rich. They have to be ready to deal with the unexpected when people’s personal items are on the line. As each episode of this series reveals, deciding on a price to buy and sell an item can quickly escalate into a verbal confrontation.
I had the chance to talk to Les Gold and his son, Seth, the other day about Hardcore Pawn and the pawn business in general. We also talked about what makes their show different than all the rest, as well as some of the most memorable customers and items they have tried to pawn off throughout the years. Here is what they had to say:
Les, how long have you been in the pawn business? When did you start your own shop?
Les: I’ve been in the pawn business since I was 7 and I’m 61 now. So that’s 54 years! I made my first sale at my grandfather’s side. And I opened American Jewelry and Loan in 1978.
Les, what made you want to get into the pawn business?
Les: I knew from that first sale that I loved it. I was hooked! I loved making the deal. I loved negotiating. And while other people might like a little more routine in their lives, I actually like not knowing what tomorrow is going to bring. And as you can see on Hardcore Pawn, you never know what’s going to happen next!
Seth, why did you want to follow in your dad’s footsteps into the business?
Seth: I grew up watching my dad and he always had a great time at work. Even when he was frustrated, he never complained about his job. Even on the worst days, he’d tell me about a funny story or a cool item. There was never a shortage of good stories.
The business is in my blood. My dad built a great legacy and I wanted to not only follow in his footsteps, but to make American Jewelry and Loan even bigger.
And I wanted to help people. People don’t always understand that. But we see 1,000 people a day in our store and those are people who can’t get a loan from a bank. We see, up close and personal, the daily difference we make in people’s lives — that getting a loan from us puts food on their table that night — and that’s important to them and to us.
If you weren’t running your own pawn shop, what else do you think you would be doing?
Les: Running someone else’s pawn shop!
Seth: I was on my way to medical school before I decided that I couldn’t leave the business, so I suppose if this hadn’t been my life for as long as I can remember, I might have stayed on that track. I always wanted to help people. I just do it in a different way here.
Pawn shops have been around for a long time, but within the last 5 years the popularity of pawn shops on television has exploded. From Pawn Stars, Auction Hunters, Storage Wars, etc., almost every channel has their own television “pawn” show. For those that haven’t see Hardcore Pawn yet, what makes your show different from all the rest?
Les: It’s real. We have a pawn shop in an urban environment and we see 1,000 people every day. The people are real. Their problems are real. What you see on television is what happens here on a daily basis. What you also get to see are the dynamics of our family – which is always interesting! I’ve got my two adult children running into each other as we try to run this business — each one of them trying to prove that they’re better than the other. And just like when they were growing up — I’m the referee!
Why do you think pawn shops have gained popularity in the last few years?
Les: Pawn shops have always been popular to people who know about pawn shops. But the show has opened up a new world to mainstream America. Now everyone knows that getting a deal at a pawn shop is the cool thing to do. Really, why would you pay retail when you can pay half the price? You’re paying for a pretty box! Do you really care if someone used it a couple times?
How do you think the recession and the “down” economy has played a part in this?
Les: Certainly there are more people who need money and less places to get it. But it’s not just loans. People are still having birthdays. They’re still having anniversaries. They still want to celebrate. So they’re looking for better deals. A video gaming system costs $300 retail. At American Jewelry and Loan and on our website, pawndetroit.com, you can find that same system for $125.
Have you seen more buyers or sellers come into your shop in the last few years since Hardcore Pawn has been on television?
Seth: Really we’re seeing both. And they’re coming in from all over the country. We just had a family come in, as part of their family reunion. They drove up in a double decker bus — half of them from Georgia and the other half from Tennessee. And we’re seeing an enormous amount of traffic on pawndetroit.com, our ecommerce site. It’s really kind of cool. They see us on TV and then they can shop right from their couch. We also have something called “Can I Pawn This?” on the website, where people can send us a picture of something they want to pawn or sell and we’ll tell them how much we think they should get from a pawn shop in their area. We’re having a lot of fun with it.
Do some people come into your shop acting crazy just so that they can get on camera?
Les: There are some people who get a little more heated up when they see the cameras. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. We plan on giving them 5, but most of them hang around a little longer than that.
Have you ever had a situation that became so hostile and out-of-control that you couldn’t or wouldn’t use it on the show?
Les: No. What you see is what we get every day. Have you noticed those big guys we’ve got working with us? Their job is to make sure nothing ever gets out of control. And they’re very good at it.
We often see a lot of family drama on the show. How much of that is “real”? We all know families fight, but is it played up more when you’re on camera versus when you’re not on camera?
Seth: Ashley and I have different managing styles. My sister ran the store for a long time, but she’s been gone for a long time too. Things have changed. She’s reprimanding people whose names she doesn’t even know! I have to step in and mediate situations that should never even happen. So it gets a little heated. But I need to keep this store running.
Les:We’re not actors. This is the way it is and always has been in the Gold household. My children are vying for control of the store. Neither of them wants to come in second place – so you’re seeing the real thing. I’ve been watching it for 30 years. Welcome to my world.
Was there ever a fight that was too personal, that you didn’t feel comfortable showing on TV?
Les: We have no editorial control. Whatever happens at American Jewelry and Loan does not stay here at American Jewelry and Loan! It goes on TV.
Who has been the most memorable and/or outrageous customers you have come into the shop, whether they have been on the show or not?
Les: That would be our most loyal customer. She came in for more than 10 years and had more than 750 transactions. We’d give her a little extra cash because we knew she needed it for her medications. Then there’s the guy who paid interest on his ring for 10 years, but never picked it up! And let’s not forget about our friend with the diamonds in his gold teeth. He’s been in a dozen times. He pops them out — pawns them — then comes back for them and just puts them right back in.
Seth: The gambler! He comes in 8-10 times a week. He loves the casino and he thinks every day is going to be his lucky day! So he’ll come in — sometimes several times in a day — either with a stack of cash or something else to put into pawn. I keep telling him to take the cash and buy something he’ll enjoy — but he always thinks he’s going to do even better with the next bet!
What has been the craziest or most unusual items people have tried to pawn?
Les: Some guy came in with nothing in his hands. He said he needed a loan and popped his eye out! There are some things that even we won’t take. It was brown and size specific. You can’t sell a brown eye to a guy with blue eyes! It’s too hard to re-sell.
There’s another guy that came in wearing a $300,000 bracelet. He needed a large sum of money — so he just slipped it off his wrist — like it was nothing!
Seth: This woman brought in a bird that swears. It was really crazy because she had some sort of fetish. She kept putting the bird’s head in her mouth! That was enough for us not to buy it! But beyond that, that bird swore so much, we wouldn’t be able to bleep it enough to put on TV!
Was there one item that you most remember that you that you had a serious disagreement about whether to buy it or not? Who thought it was a good idea to buy it and who didn’t? Did you end up selling that item?
Les: Oh yeah! Ashley ad Seth were both at the store. I wasn’t. Someone came in with a pair of Tiffany earrings. They went back and forth about whether to buy them — but in the end, they thought it was a good idea. So they paid $2300 for them! When I saw them the next day, I almost got sick to my stomach. It took us 6 years to break even on that deal! They paid for the blue box. Our customers don’t care about the blue box!
Seth: What about the guy who brought in the homemade cannon?!? I said absolutely not. But you know Les – he likes his toys. Eventually I talked him out of it – but it wasn’t easy.
What was the biggest profit you made off one item? What was it? What did you buy it for? What did you sell it for?
Les: We’ve purchased diamonds for $1000 and sold them for $5000. We’ve bought colored stone rings for $10 and sold them for $200. And then we’ve had the really quick deals — like the guy who sold us a giant gumball machine for $50. While he was at the counter waiting for his cash, I sold it to another customer for $100.
Are the cameras there every day all day filming or just certain times?
Les: When we’re filming, the cameras are rolling from open to close – six days a week. We film for about 3 weeks at a time.
What has been the best and worst thing about having your pawn shop featured on a television show?
Les: The best thing — we’re featured on a television show! The worst thing — it can be difficult to get work done when the cameras are here.
Seth: The hardest part for me is that we’ve lost our privacy. Everyone knows who we are now. But the show has put us on the map as a tourist destination and you can’t beat that. So it’s hard to say there’s anything bad about the situation. We’re having a great time. Our customers love it and we hope everyone at home does too.
Be sure to check out new episodes of Hardcore Pawn every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
