Navy veteran Richard Harrison operates one of the most famous pawn shops in the world.

Broken down, rusted, decades-old Coke machines. Guns said to have been used centuries ago in wars fought before a time one could ever dream of. Diamond and not-so-diamond rings passed down from generation to generation. Jukeboxes so old, they have absolutely no recollection of the names “Lady Gaga” or “Nickelback.”
           

Some of these things may seem like junk to you, but to Richard Harrison – who served in the Navy from 1958-1979 – these items can be worth more than gold.

“Some of the most profitable items I’ve sold have been vintage watches (ranging from $50 to $100,000) and large diamonds (ranging from $40 to $60,000),” he said. “People have tried to pawn everything from a silver bowl from a church in Peru out of the 1600s to an 1892 Japanese Samurai sword.”
 

Taking it to Television

Harrison knows more than most about the world of buying and selling things. One-third of the History Channel’s television show “Pawn Stars,” he, along with his son Rick and grandson Corey, operates the only family-run pawn shop in Las Vegas.

The show chronicles the ins and outs of how a successful pawn shop is run, as well as altercations with various happy or unhappy, customers as they do their best to make money off of unique treasures and family heirlooms. According to Harrison, his success has come, in part, due to the lessons learned while serving his country.

“I learned about common sense and hard work,” he said. “My administrative work in the military transcended to skills needed to run a business.”
 

It Ain’t Easy

Harrison’s recent rise to fame certainly didn’t happen over night. In 1981, while living in California, he nearly went bankrupt. Having landed on financial hardships, he moved to Las Vegas later that year to open a buy and sell shop.

“I had to open a buy and sell shop because the city would not allow another pawn shop until the population increased,” Harrison explained. “It took seven years for the city’s population to grow so in 1988, I finally opened the pawn shop. I knew that a pawn shop would be successful because of the prices of gold (at the time). I always enjoyed going in and exploring second-hand stores and pawn shops, so it was a natural fit for me.”

Harrison added that “Pawn Stars” took many years to finally come to fruition. He said that because it took nearly two decades between the time he opened the pawn shop in Las Vegas until the time his store became noticed, he wanted the History Channel to shoot a show he thought would make sense. Little did anyone know that once the show hit the airwaves it would become, as big a hit as it has become.

“We went from the lowest rated show on the History Channel to No. 1 in 10 weeks,” Richard’s son Rick told the Los Angeles Times in December 2009. The article went on to explain that the usual amount of customers who visited the Harrisons’ store skyrocketed from 70 a day, to 700 a day. And according to Richard, a lot of the show’s success can be credited to the masterminds at the History Channel.

“The History Channel hit the nail on the head with ‘Pawn Stars,’” Richard said.

Time Well Served

Richard said none of his success in the business world would have been made possible without the 21 years he spent in the Navy. Harrison is a firm believer that going into the military always helps a young man or woman with the tools he or she needs to become successful in life.

“Being in the military helped me deal with people in general,” he said. “It taught me how to communicate effectively.”

He added that though nothing could possibly prepare you to own and run a pawn shop specifically – “It’s all on the job training,” he said. “Military training has transcended into my lifestyle. It’s led me to be more organized. If I had my way, I’d make everyone serve in the military for two years or more.”

 

New “Pawn Stars” Episodes Air on Mondays at 10/9 Central on the History Channel.

To learn more visit http://www.history.com/content/pawn-stars

Comments