Les Gold

Last updated

Les Gold
Born
Leslie Gold

(1950-06-20) June 20, 1950 (age 73)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupations
  • Pawnbroker
  • reality TV star
  • author
  • speaker
Years active1962–present
Television Hardcore Pawn
Spouse
Lili Gold
​
(m. 1975)​
Children2
Website pawndetroit.com

Les Gold (born June 20, 1950) is an American pawnbroker, reality TV star, author, and media personality. [1] [2] [3] He is known for his role on cable and satellite television truTV's reality series, Hardcore Pawn .

Contents

Early life and career

Gold is a third generation pawnbroker/salesman, the grandson of a pawnbroker who once owned company "Sam's Loans", a now-defunct pawnshop on Michigan Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. [4] Sam's Loans was where Gold made his first sale, at age 7. [5] [6] In 2014, the Sam's Loans building was remodeled into a pawn shop-themed restaurant, named "Gold Cash Gold". [7] The restaurant closed in 2020. [8]

Gold began his first business at age 12, buying pizzas and reselling them by the slice to fellow students at Hebrew School. [2] Gold opened his own pawn shop, American Jewelry and Loan, in 1978, at the Green Eight Shopping Center on 8 Mile Road in Oak Park. [9] In 1993, he moved it to its present location on Greenfield Road in Detroit near 8 Mile - a 50,000 square foot building that was formerly a bowling alley. The business now has 5 locations, [10] employs up to 200 people [11] and serves about 1,000 customers a day. [6] [12]

Hardcore Pawn

Gold, his family, and his pawn shops are central to the truTV series Hardcore Pawn.

In 1998, independent producer Richard Dominick saw Gold's TV ads which ran during the local commercial breaks of The Jerry Springer Show , which Dominick was working on at the time. He saw potential in Les and his business as a reality TV show and approached the Gold family with this idea. Les's son, Seth, was initially reluctant, but Les overruled him and agreed to let the cameras in. The pilot aired in late 2009. Dominick was the series co-executive producer with Mike Gamson. [5] Les and Seth Gold were also credited as executive producers, beginning with the third season. [13]

The series premiere (August 16, 2010) attracted two million viewers, thus setting a record as truTV's most-watched premiere. [9] [14] As of June 2013, the viewership exceeded 3 million. [2]

Production was halted and the show was canceled in 2014. [15]

Publications

Gold's autobiography, For What It's Worth: Business Wisdom from a Pawnbroker, was published on June 1, 2013, by Penguin/Portfolio. The book deals with his personal experience in establishing a successful pawn shop, and gives details on how he did it, and how anyone in any field can "think like a pawnbroker". [1] Writing for Forbes, fellow entrepreneur Josh Linkner explains how he has learned from Gold's advice. [16]

The book ranked #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list in the Advice, How-to, and Miscellaneous category for the week of June 30, 2013, [17] and #8 in the Hardcover Business Books category for the month of July 2013. [18]

Gold, the book, and his "three simple steps to successful negotiation" were featured on ABC's Good Morning America on June 18, 2013. [19] [20]

Personal life

Gold married Lili Gold in 1975. [1] Together they have two children. [1]

Philanthropy

Gold supports The Heat And Warmth Fund ("THAW Fund"), which helps local families pay their heat and electricity bills. In February 2013, a fund-raising party dubbed "Hardcore THAW" was held after-hours in his store and raised more than $40,000 for the organization. [5] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawnbroker</span> Individual or business that offers loans, using personal property as collateral

A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been pawned to the broker are themselves called pledges or pawns, or simply the collateral. While many items can be pawned, pawnshops typically accept jewelry, musical instruments, home audio equipment, computers, video game systems, coins, gold, silver, televisions, cameras, power tools, firearms, and other relatively valuable items as collateral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren McCarty</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1972)

Darren Douglas McCarty is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward, best known for his years playing with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). McCarty has been known for taking on the role of the Red Wings enforcer most of his career, a role in which he won the Stanley Cup four times in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008, the last of which after resurrecting his career in the Red Wings minor league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of pawnbroking</span>

Pawnbroking, lending money on portable security, began in ancient history. The practice was widespread in many parts of the world, from ancient Greece to medieval China and medieval Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dominick</span> American television producer

Richard Dominick is an American television producer who was the executive producer of NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution's Jerry Springer from 1994 to 2008. Dominick also served in the same capacity on The Steve Wilkos Show for its first season, as well as the truTV police series Bait Car. He later produced another popular truTV series, Hardcore Pawn.

Oak Park High School is a public high school located in Oak Park, Michigan an inner suburb of Detroit. The school is part of the Oak Park School district. It serves about 1,130 students in grades 9 to 12 from Oak Park and surrounding communities around Detroit.

<i>Pawn Stars</i> American reality television series

Pawn Stars is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24-hour family business opened in 1989 and originally operated by patriarch Richard "Old Man" Harrison, his son Rick Harrison, Rick's son Corey "Big Hoss" Harrison, and Corey's childhood friend, Austin "Chumlee" Russell. The series, which became the network's highest rated show, and the No. 2 reality show on television, behind Jersey Shore, debuted on July 19, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borro Private Finance</span> UK based personal asset finance company

Borro is a US-based online pawnbroker and secured lender that offers loans secured on luxury assets. The company provides loans allowing clients to use luxury assets such as fine art, classic cars, jewelry, watches and other collectibles.

<i>Hardcore Pawn</i> American TV reality show

Hardcore Pawn is an American reality television series produced by RDF USA and Richard Dominick Productions for truTV about the day-to-day operations of American Jewelry and Loan, a family-owned and -operated pawn shop and broker in Detroit, Michigan's 8 Mile Road corridor.

Pawn Queens is a reality TV series about female pawn shop operators, airing on TLC, which premiered in 2010, following its pilot episode in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provident Loan Society</span>

The Provident Loan Society of New York is a not-for-profit organization headquartered at 346 Park Avenue South on the corner of 25th Street in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was created in the 19th century by a group of influential New Yorkers as an alternative to the loan sharks of the day. Founders include Robert W. De Forest, James Speyer, Otto T. Bannard, J. P. Morgan, Jacob H. Schiff, August Belmont, Jr. and Cornelius Vanderbilt II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Harrison</span> American businessman and TV personality (born 1965)

Richard Kevin Harrison is an American businessman, reality television personality, and owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop which is featured on the History series Pawn Stars. Harrison and his father, Richard Benjamin Harrison, opened the shop in 1989, which they co-owned until his father's death in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Benjamin Harrison</span> American pawnbroker and television personality (1941–2018)

Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr., also known by the nicknames "The Old Man" and "The Appraiser", was an American businessman and reality television personality, best known as the co-owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, as featured on the History Channel series Pawn Stars. Harrison was the co-owner of the pawn shop with his son Rick Harrison. They opened the store together in 1989.

<i>Hardcore Pawn: Chicago</i> American reality television series

Hardcore Pawn: Chicago is an American reality television series on truTV. A spin-off of Hardcore Pawn, the series follows the day-to-day operations of the Royal Pawn Shop located in Chicago, Illinois, at 428 S. Clark Street across from the Metropolitan Correctional Center near Chicago's Financial District.

Yossi Dina is an Israeli pawnbroker, businessman, entrepreneur, and reality television personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pawnbrokers in Hong Kong</span>

In 2014, there were 200 pawnbrokers in Hong Kong, with the number increasing over the next several years. Pawn shops are some of the oldest businesses in Hong Kong. The pawn shops themselves have several prominent features, including a screen to block the view of passersby, as well as a high counter. Additionally, these shops are governed by strict regulations, such as having to keep records of all transactions and being obliged to report any suspicious items to the authorities.

iPawn

iPawn is a financial services company serving as an online lender and reseller for luxury goods. The company holds an online pawn shop license with headquarters in Tyler, Texas. iPawn raised over $4 million in investment and has been cited as one of the leading companies in transitioning the pawn industry to the internet.

Pawn Stars Australia is the Australian adaptation of the American series of the same name. It premiered on 21 July 2015 on A&E. The Australian version is the third international spin-off after Pawn Stars UK and Pawn Stars South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bischoff Hervey Entertainment</span> American media company

Bischoff Hervey Entertainment Television LLC is a Los Angeles based production company, founded in 2003 by Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey. The company produces and broadcasts various formed of television entertainment, including reality and games shows. Their first show was I Want To Be a Hilton. In addition, the company was involved in producing mobile games.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gold, Les (2013). For What It's Worth: Business Wisdom from a Pawnbroker. Penguin. ISBN   978-1-101-62155-4 . Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "For What It's Worth: Business Wisdom from a Pawnbroker". Publishers' Weekly. June 6, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Booking Inquiries". Pawn Detroit. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Gold at Gunpoint". Hardcore Pawn. September 27, 2010. truTV.
  5. 1 2 3 Marechal, AJ; Horst, Carole (April 10, 2013). "Family Drama and Thousands of Clients Draw Millions of Eyeballs and a Ratings Hit for Niche Net". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Lagorio, Christine (June 24, 2013). "What The Pawnbroker Knows". Inc. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  7. ↑ Beshouri, Paul (April 17, 2014). "Gold Cash Gold Blows Out Facade, Remod Marches Forward". Curbed Detroit.
  8. ↑ Houck, Brenna (January 12, 2020). "Corktown Brunch Favorite Gold Cash Gold Will Close Its Doors in February". Eater Detroit. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Hammerstein, B.J. (August 15, 2010). "Masters of pawn get a reality check". Detroit Free Press . Archived from the original on January 8, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Contact American Jewelry and Loan » American Jewelry and Loan". pawndetroit.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013.
  11. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/company/american-jewelry-and-loan/about/ [ self-published source ]
  12. ↑ Gunelius, Susan (August 22, 2011). "Meet Hardcore Pawn's Leading Lady: Ashley Broad". Forbes. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  13. ↑ Per the credits on IMDB's entry for Hardcore Pawn.
  14. ↑ Cassell, Karen (August 17, 2010). "'Hardcore Pawn' Delivers 2 Million Viewers, Setting New Record as truTV's Most-Watched Series Premiere Ever" (Press release). Time Warner. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  15. ↑ "TV Q&A: 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Hardcore Pawn' and 'The Returned'". communityvoices.post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  16. ↑ Linkner, Josh (June 18, 2013). "For What It's Worth: 6 Pieces Of Advice From A Hardcore Pawnbroker". Forbes. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  17. ↑ "The New York Times Best Sellers: Advice, How-to, and Miscellaneous: June 30, 2013". The New York Times. June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  18. ↑ "The New York Times Best Sellers: Hardcover Business Books: July 7, 2013". The New York Times. July 7, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  19. ↑ Les, Gold (July 3, 2013). "Les Gold: Three Simple Steps to Successful Negotiation" . Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  20. ↑ "'Hardcore Pawn's' Les Gold's Tips for Buyers, Sellers". Good Morning America. ABC. June 18, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  21. ↑ Hammerstein, B.J. (February 7–13, 2013). "'Hardcore Pawn' bash to benefit THAW" (PDF). Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.