Detroit "Hardcore Pawn" on TruTV

**Meddle** · July-10-10, 04:38 AM

Posted: July 10, 2010
Detroit pawnshop gets TV series
Family to star in new reality show

BY KATHERINE YUNG
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Get ready for the pawnshop wars.

Starting Aug.16, Detroit's own Les Gold and his family, the owners of American Jewelry and Loan on the city's northwest side, will be the stars of a new reality show on TruTV called "Hardcore Pawn." It will compete on Monday nights with "Pawn Stars," the hit History Channel show featuring the Harrison family of Las Vegas and its Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.

Four months of filming for the new eight-episode series wrapped up this week. "The show is about a real pawnshop in a real city," Gold said. "There is nothing made up."

TruTV ran two pilot episodes of "Hardcore Pawn" in December. They proved so successful that the Turner Broadcasting System channel gave the green light to produce a series.

Like "Pawn Stars," "Hardcore Pawn" will focus on Gold's family -- his wife, Lili, and adult children Seth Gold and Ashley Broad. But the customers that frequent his store are likely to be every bit as entertaining.

The series "shows Detroit as it actually is," Gold said.

Pawnshop family set for its close-up

If "Hardcore Pawn" becomes a hit when it debuts Aug. 16 on TruTV, tourists and others could soon be flocking to American Jewelry and Loan's 50,000-square-foot facility on Greenfield Road in Detroit.

After all, there's a precedent for this kind of marketing bonanza. Tourists regularly descend on the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas that's featured on the popular History Channel show "Pawn Stars," buying up hundreds of T-shirts and hats.

Rest of article here...

Contact KATHERINE YUNG: 313-222-8763 or kyung@freepress.com

Full Article at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...te=fullarticle

**softailrider** · July-10-10, 07:09 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Full Article at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...te=fullarticle

I remember when a disgruntled customer shot Les Gold's father at the Michigan Avenue store when it was open a couple of decades ago [[he survived) From what I understand, they were a very unpleasant family.

**Maof** · July-10-10, 08:04 AM

Looking forward to it. I'm kinda getting tired of the history channels Pawn Stars. Anyone watch American Pickers? Great show. I would love to dig for treasures the way these guys do.

**CLAUDE G** · July-11-10, 02:24 AM

Actually the Pawn Stars show was susposed to be based out of Detroit to begin with. When the History Channel came up with the Pawn Stars show, they origionally picked a Pawn shop here in Detroit to feature on the show. The owners son was all for it, however his father didn't want to do the show because he feared that people would see how they run their day to day operation and the amount of cash they take in and was afraid someone would watch the show and decide to rob them.

It takes 1 month to produce each show, and the History channel was or is paying $40,000 per eposode.

From what I hear the guys who run that pawn shop in Vegas are super busy because of the show and there are people waiting in lines to just to get into the store

**Meddle** · July-11-10, 02:49 AM

But unless you're hocking antiques or family heirlooms, what does it have to do with History? Right? History Channel?

**Moetown** · July-11-10, 03:37 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

But unless you're hocking antiques or family heirlooms, what does it have to do with History? Right? History Channel?

Much of what they show on pawn stars is pre 1900, quite a bit from the civil war and before.

**softailrider** · July-12-10, 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by Meddle

But unless you're hocking antiques or family heirlooms, what does it have to do with History? Right? History Channel?

I think it has a lot to do with Americana and our way of life, it's an industry that's been in existance for quite a while.

**bibs** · July-12-10, 09:48 PM

Went into American Jewelry and Loan once. The loan line was about 60 people deep and the area for pawned items was relatively small. The look on the faces of peoples in the loan line was disturbing. About 90% of his business appears to be loans to people with poor credit.

**Meddle** · August-15-10, 12:43 PM

Coming up tomorrow night.

**p1acebo** · August-15-10, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

Coming up tomorrow night.

What time?

**Ray1936** · August-15-10, 03:16 PM

My TV is saying 10:00 p.m., but it doesn't say what time zone that is. I suppose Eastern is it if it is unsaid.

That's 7:00 p.m. here, of course.......

**Jimaz** · August-15-10, 05:16 PM

My Comcast listings say 10 & 10:30 PM but that could be wrong because it thinks I'm in St Clair Shores which I'm not.

**SCS_Scooter** · August-16-10, 07:31 AM

I am very familiar with this shop. When my house was broken in to last year, I made it my mission to scour every pawn shop in the city until I found my stuff. My laptop and a few pieces of jewelry were found at American Jewelry and Loan. The SCS police got involved and the guy that broke in and sold my items was arrested and eventually locked up. It certainly isn't in the best location but the people watching is fabulous! I am looking forward to watching tonite.

**daddeeo** · August-16-10, 02:57 PM

I don't think this will be pretty.
What kind of entertainment is there in seeing people down on their luck?
Sounds kind of depressing and that's not what we need around here.
Will this be a freak show like Jerry Springer with every wacko that comes in the store a
person who cashes in on their 5 minutes of "fame"?

**tetsua** · August-16-10, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by daddeeo

I don't think this will be pretty.
What kind of entertainment is there in seeing people down on their luck?
Sounds kind of depressing and that's not what we need around here.
Will this be a freak show like Jerry Springer with every wacko that comes in the store a
person who cashes in on their 5 minutes of "fame"?

This is the same thing I thought before I started watching "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel, but it's not like that at all [[at least not on Pawn Stars). It's mostly folks who clean out there basements, see something old and wondering what it's worth. We'll see what "Hardcore Pawn" is like though.

**Jimaz** · August-16-10, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by tetsua

This is the same thing I thought before I started watching "Pawn Stars" on the History Channel, but it's not like that at all [[at least not on Pawn Stars). It's mostly folks who clean out there basements, see something old and wondering what it's worth. We'll see what "Hardcore Pawn" is like though.

Yes. I just now watched "Pawn Stars" and one woman was pleasantly surprised at the value of some old bell she had to get rid of. She was glad to sell it. It can be like that Traveling Roadshow on PBS. A lot of strange antiques show up.

**fryar** · August-16-10, 06:46 PM

I completely agree, it's really just a funner [[or something) Antiques Roadshow. Imagine all of the concerns Las Vegans, and moralists, had before that show went on the air, which was sure to feature a bunch of addicted gamplers and johns.

**tetsua** · August-16-10, 09:13 PM

Yeah .... this show is a little ghetto, think I might stick to "Pawn Stars"

**SCS_Scooter** · August-16-10, 10:18 PM

I'm going to stick to watching Rick and the "Old Man"! There is waaay too much going on over there at AJ. [[What'd I miss in the second episode??? Why did the gun shop owner go on the nut when Lou asked if there was a discount on the holsters?

)

**p1acebo** · August-16-10, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by SCS_Scooter

I'm going to stick to watching Rick and the "Old Man"! There is waaay too much going on over there at AJ. [[What'd I miss in the second episode??? Why did the gun shop owner go on the nut when Lou asked if there was a discount on the holsters?

)

I think he was a bit freaked by the cameras?

I dunno, I enjoyed the show. I would watch it again.

**Maof** · August-17-10, 06:30 AM

eh, it was ok. too much "bleeping" going on.

**eastland** · August-17-10, 07:40 AM

How many times did they mention how dangerous Detroit is? Six? Seven?

**SCS_Scooter** · August-17-10, 01:49 PM

He didn't have to mention it at all. That wackadoodle lady and her Mom looking for her earrings is enough for me to believe we are not in Kansas anymore.

**Hypestyles** · August-17-10, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by eastland

How many times did they mention how dangerous Detroit is? Six? Seven?

I noticed that as well- It seemed like, in that episode, anyway, that he/the show were portraying himself as tough-folk shopkeepers in a Wild West frontier town, where literally every day there’s some kind of violent drama, somebody to forcibly kick out ..

and heck, let’s be real, 8 mile and Greenfield, I head past there any time I go to Northland Mall & vicinity, it’s not a war zone.. [[there’s a segment where Les is speaking to his security staff, and stressing that he would absolutely “die for [[this place)”.. really? son Seth is vaguely implied to be a wimp when he expresses ambivalence at going through gun training..

The owner Les comes across as kind of smarmy, to be frank. ..and I don’t know if Les has a rep for lowballing people or trying to negotiate discounts wherever he buys stuff at other places, but anyway..
There’s a segment toward the end of the episode where the family goes to a gun shop to buy guns for everyone, but at the end, Les asks for some kind of deal/discount on the holsters [[he claims he was buying $3000 worth of stuff) and the owner/manager goes ballistic, throws everybody out.. I don’t know how much was edited, but it was a bizarre exchange..

I stumbled across the show last night, watched the whole thing, semi-grudgingly. I half-remembered members of the family apparently appearing on WJLB to promote the pilot episodes some months ago, but had forgotten all about it until actually seeing the show.
I have only rarely been to pawn shops, and never to sell anything [[I use Ebay). I remember going to a place on E. 8 mile and…Van Dyke, maybe.. I remember at the time there were radio ads about the place, new facility, “lots of stuff to choose from”.. but I go in there, and really, it’s kind of bare.. lots of older, creaky-looking electronic items, lawn equipment and such.. I ended up buying a used dvd for $3 but I have no incentive to go back and browse..