Area pawn shop operators say the cable television reality show “Pawn Stars” may serve up entertaining TV, but it hardly reflects the day-to-day grind they face in running a shop.

The show is set at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, which boasts 30 employees and 21 on-call experts whose knowledge ranges from rare coins and cuckoo clocks to autos and Western memorabilia.

“I wish I could see some of the things those guys see,” said a laughing Brad Burney, owner of Praco Gun & Pawn Shop in Waco. “I guess more interesting items show up in Las Vegas than in Waco, Texas.”

Paula McCommas, owner of B&K Pawn, says the recession has resulted in a boost to her business.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

But that’s not to say Burney lacks resources when it comes to gauging the value of items.

“Now if you brought in a Picasso, I wouldn’t know where to start,” he said. “But we have base values for stones and metals.

“And for firearms we can use the Internet and reference books to find values in about two minutes, though something of historical significance might take a little bit longer.”

Online information

Burney said he also can go online at eBay and find the going price for just about anything.

Waco may have nothing to compare with that glitzy pawn shop in Las Vegas, but it has many locations from which to choose. Only Lubbock, with 14, has more than Waco’s 13 licensed pawn shops among Texas cities of comparable size.

That number does not count pawn shops in Waco’s suburbs or shops that specialize in payday loans.

Pawnbrokers offer secured loans to people who put up items as collateral.

These items are sold if the customer does not buy them back by an agreed-upon time with interest. Pawnbrokers also buy items outright.

Tom Pflaum, owner of Bosque Pawn & Jewelry in Waco, said he visited Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, lured there by the TV show. But he didn’t enjoy his experience.

He took a couple of diamond and gold items to the store, but got low-ball offers.

“I think they’re just capitalizing on the fact somebody wanted to film pawn shops,” he said. “You see bolo knives and Indian artifacts, all that kind of stuff. I don’t think it’s very realistic.”

Pflaum said he sees few novelty items but when he does, he relies upon the Internet for information.

“When I was running a pawn shop in Florida, I made loans on a prosthetic arm and a glass eye,” Pflaum said. “But here I mostly see DVD players, TV sets and other items you might see in a flea market.”

Questionable procedure

Desiree Jones, manager of EZ Pawn at 1000 S. Valley Mills Drive, said she has watched episodes of “Pawn Stars.” She enjoys the show but questions one practice that probably is done strictly for TV.

“They bring in someone to appraise an item, then tell the customer how much they will ask for it,” she said, “I wouldn’t buy something for $300 and say we’re going to sell it for $1,000.”

Jones said EZ Corp. provides a website that offers pricing guidelines. With its help, she said, she recently made a $300 deal with a man who hauled a vintage train set into the store.

A sampling of area pawn shops reveal the economy has created a rise in the number of people pawning items to raise cash. One owner, Paula McCommas, said her two B&K Pawn locations are buzzing.

“A lot of people don’t have jobs, or they’re working shortened hours, 20 hours or less. They want cash to pay their bills,” said McCommas, who likes to think she’s helping people in need.

McCommas said her late father-in-law, Mac McCommas, showed her the ropes of running a pawn shop.

“He taught me a lot about business and about life. He was my mentor,” Paula McCommas said.

She said she trusts her own judgment and that of her employees to determine the value of merchandise.

Burney said Waco’s economy fares better than many places, even during hard times, “but we did see a good-sized jump in tool loans a year- to 18 months ago when construction kind of came to an end.”

Those loans have been leveling off in recent months, Burney said.

Jones said the changing times of the year, not the economy, drive her business.

“We’re in the loan season now. Closer to Christmas will be more of the selling season,” she said.

Jones said at her shop, 80 percent of customers who get loans of $20 or less will never return for their merchandise.

But 80 percent of those who get loans of $100 or more will come back for the items they pawn.

“If you leave mother’s wedding ring, that will get picked up,” Jones said.

Bill Johnson, owner of Rodeo Pawn, said he’s seeing customers wanting to part with gold and saddles.

“Some folks are really feeling the pinch,” he said. “I bet I’ve got 150 saddles in the back.”