For What It's Worth by Les Gold

Author:Les Gold
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group, USA
Published: 2013-05-09T05:00:00+00:00

Where a Bigger Vision Will Take You

After changing our store and opening our doors to the TV cameras, I believe the public image of pawnbrokers has really started to change. These days it’s cool to come to the pawnshop. I’m starting to see wealthier people there, and as a result, I’m making bigger loans. When we started filming Hardcore Pawn, I figured our viewers would be the same sort of people as our typical customers. But according to the data I’ve seen, our viewers actually make a good bit of money, and our customer base is starting to change, too. We’ve got big-time companies, such as Bud Light, advertising on our show now. One night in December of 2012, we were the biggest show on cable.

But I know it’s not just the show, and it’s not just my store—this change in customers and experiences is happening all over the country. Pawnbrokers from all over the United States are telling me that their businesses are changing, too. The business press is also catching on; I’ve read articles in MarketWatch, the Financial Times, and elsewhere about how pawnshops are bringing in higher-end customers who want the convenience and discretion we’ve always been known for. That wouldn’t be possible if we hadn’t changed what it means to walk into a pawnshop.

The other day a person came into our shop to tell me he’d just opened a pawnshop in North Carolina. He watches our show, and it made him want to get into the business; he said he couldn’t pass through Detroit without coming to see the original American Jewelry and Loan. That’s what I’m aiming for. I want pawnshops to be cool, sure, and I want our TV show to be popular, but more than that, I want pawnshops to be respected. I want people to see us as a legitimate business. If I hadn’t seen that big picture—if I hadn’t seen the ways my business needed to change to make it a better experience for my customers—I would still be a small-time pawnbroker.

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