Gold -N- Pawn

By Jessica Farrish
Register-Herald Reporter

June 27, 2009 11:53 pm

— It’s a great place to purchase high quality jewelry at a discount price or to get a new home theater system.
Nik Dickerson, manager of Gold -N- Pawn in Beckley, said he likes to think of the place as one that helps people.
“We’re basically here to help the little guy,” said Dickerson. “The guys that their hot water heater blew up and they used the extra money on it, and now the kid’s sick and they need to go to the doctor.
“They come in, get a small loan, and in 30 days usually pick up their stuff.”
Gold -N- Pawn left its former spot at Beckley Crossing and is now located at 3158 Robert C. Byrd Drive, a locale next to Quizno’s that once hosted a car lot.
“We needed more space, and we were tired of paying rent, so we basically bought a car lot,” Dickerson said. “We are a pawn shop that gives loans on pretty much anything of value that can be resold.”
Gold -N- Pawn is a corporation that also has locations in Princeton, Bluefield, and Roanoke, Va., said Dickerson.
The corporation has existed since 1987, and the Beckley location has been in business since 1992, he added.
“Business has been doing well,” he said. “We try to be people persons, and we try to help out.
“We don’t look at it really as a business,” added Dickerson. “It’s more like helping someone out in a time of need.
“Of course, there is the business side of it. We sell the stuff.”
According to Dickerson, folks come to Gold -N- Pawn with guitars, jewelry, guns, tools, CDs, game systems, bows, laptops and other valuable items that can be resold.
They are given a loan while Gold -N- Pawn holds the item in the store.
“It’s (the store) got an alarm, and it’s got safes,” Dickerson said.
“Seventy five percent of people who pawn pick their stuff up (within 30 days),” said Dickerson.
Items that aren’t picked up become the property of Gold -N- Pawn and are available for resale.
“We’ve got rings, men’s rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, charms for necklaces,” he said. “I’ve got just about every kind of piece of jewelry.
“People have come in and bought laptops and TVs,” he reported. “I’ve sold out of every TV I got.
“We’ve got iPods, we’ve got game systems, fishing rods, DVD players, home theater systems,” he added. “I’ve got a little bit of everything.”
Construction companies routinely visit Gold -N- Pawn to find tools at a deep discount, said Dickerson.
Another big seller — despite superstitions — are wedding and engagement rings.
“Some women don’t care,” he said. “Then there are some that just don’t want a ring from a pawn shop.”
For those ladies who believe it’s bad luck to wear a ring from a marriage that “didn’t work out,” Dickerson presented his viewpoint.
“Ninety percent of the diamonds out there anyway have been recycled,” he said. “When you take it to the jewelry store, all they do is pop the diamond out and put it in another setting and make another ring.
“There’s only so many diamonds in the world.”
With that in mind, Dickerson said, the ring isn’t just about the diamond but is rather a “symbol of love.”
All engagement rings can be symbols of love, no matter where they are purchased, he said.
And, he added, shopping for an engagement ring or wedding set at Gold -N- Pawn is just smart money management.
“A lot of people, when they start out getting married, don’t have a lot of money,” he said. “They can’t run up to a jewelry store.”
Dickerson said new customers are welcome to visit the new location to find deals on a variety of top-notch items.
“We’ll treat you so many different ways, you got to like one of them,” said Dickerson, a U.S. Air Force veteran. “Something’s got to work.”
Dickerson and sales associate Bethanie Sheppard are in the store from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The store is closed Wednesdays and Sundays, said Dickerson.
Those who want more information may contact Gold N Pawn at 304-255-0963.
— E-mail: jfarrish@register-herald.com

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