It’s a weird lark for him to have this amount of attention at this stage of his life, and we tease the hell out of him for being the favorite of all the blue-haired old gals who wander through the store and have to clutch their chests as if they’re staving off a heart attack every time they see him. Still, since he’s been at this the longest, the change has affected him the most.
A typical conversation with my dad since the show hit:
(Sitting in my office in the back.)
old man: “We doing all right, son?”
me: “Yeah, Dad, we’re doing fucking great.”
dad (a little sad): “OK, son. As long as you say so.”
That’s the frustrating part for him. He’s been a workaholic since he was a teenager, and the biggest joys he found in the business came from work. He’d love to sit at his desk and price every item, and that’s just not feasible or possible right now.
Now, with the volume we deal with, there’s no way he can keep up. Everything has to be inventoried, and I tell him, “Unless you’re willing to learn how to use the computer, you can’t do it anymore.” Well, that’s a deal-breaker for him.
We had absolutely no idea it would get this damned big. I’m on Letterman, Chum’s on Leno—I mean, this is ridiculous. Look, I’m a dreamer. I had this vision of a reality show that might work for a season or two. I thought it would be fun and profitable and educational. I thought it would work, but this thing mushroomed so fast it’s hard to keep up. We’re on our third season, and History has already committed to a fourth.
Old Man figured he’d suffer along with my dream, but there were times when I thought he was going to refuse to be part of it. He was pretty adamant that it was never going to happen, and there was a part of me that felt the Leftfield sizzle reel was going to be our last opportunity. I’m glad it worked out, obviously, but I know deep inside I wouldn’t have given up if it had fallen through.
One of the smartest things Leftfield did was choose Chumlee to be the fourth regular on the show. He’s the perfect foil, and he really is that goofy—or close to it—in real life. His interactions with Old Man are classic, and the show has turned his life around more than anyone’s.
I’d like to think we’ve helped the business emerge from the shadows a little bit, too. I think we’ve legitimized the pawn business by giving people an honest look at what we do. Granted, we’re not the usual pawn shop, but many of the people we deal with are good, hardworking people who are forced through circumstances to live on the fringes of the traditional economy. One of the greatest validations we got was being named Pawnbrokers of the Year in 2010 for our contributions to the business.
We’re building a 6,500-square-foot addition to our warehouse and office space. It’s pretty crazy to think that twenty years ago we were going to court for the chance to acquire the license that would give us the right to open a pawn shop. Now one of our biggest issues is making sure there aren’t too many people in the shop at any one time.
I heard a saying as a kid that resonated with me, and I’ve kept it in the back of my head ever since: It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
This life continues to amaze me. I’m as enthusiastic about what I do as I was the first day I started doing it. Twenty-one years of dealing with people from all walks of life has turned me into an amateur psychologist, sociologist, and anthropologist, and I still find myself reacting with amazement several times a day.
Because you know what? You never know what’s going to come through that door.
Acknowledgments
There are too many people to single out, so I’ll keep it short. Most of the people who made this happen are the same characters who populate the book. They know who they are, and now you do, too.
Just like running a pawn shop, producing a book is a team effort. The first order of business is to thank Tim Keown. I could not have done this without him.
There are many people behind the scenes who worked hard to make this book a reality. Foremost among them is my literary agent, Richard Abate. My representatives at United Talent Agency, Feroz Taj and Ryan Hayden, deserve equal billing. They’re all great deal-makers in their own right.
I’d like to thank the people at Hyperion for believing there was a book inside me. Jill Schwartzman deserves specific thanks for adopting the project and making it her own. Her expertise was both welcome and needed.
About the Author
RICK HARRISON lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he is the owner-operator of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Pawn Stars is the highest-rated show on History and one of the highest-rated shows on cable television this year, with millions of viewers per episode.
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Rick Harrison
Photographs of the author’s family: courtesy of Rick Harrison. All others by Nathaniel Winn.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the original print edition of this book as follows:
Harrison, Rick.
License to pawn : deals, steals, and my life at the Gold & Silver / by Rick Harrison with Tim Keown. - 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4013-2430-8 (hardback)
1. Harrison, Rick. 2. Pawnbrokers-Nevada-Las Vegas. 3. World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop (Las Vegas, Nev.) 4. Fathers and sons-Nevada-Las Vegas. I. Keown, Tim. II. Title.
HG2103.L37H37 2011
332.3’4092-dc22
[B]
2010051138
eBook Edition ISBN: 978-1-4013-0380-8
Hyperion books are available for special promotions and premiums. For details contact the HarperCollins Special Markets Department in the New York office at 212- 207-7528, fax 212-207-7222, or email [email protected].
Cover design by Laura Drew
Cover photo of Rick Harrison © Bryan Hainer
Cover photo of architecture © Erik Kabik
History ® and Pawn Stars ® are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC.
First eBook Edition
Original hardcover edition printed in the United States of America.
www.HyperionBooks.com
License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver Page 22