National Pawnbroker - Summer 2020

Pawnbroker National

Official Publication of the National Pawnbrokers Association

SUMMER 2020

Facebook Live Auctions: A ST EP- BY-STEP GUI DE

EMPLOYMENT AFTER COVID-19

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CRISIS MANAGEMENT AFTER A ROBBERY

A Salute To You, PawnMaster Nation For 32 years now, you have worked hard with the PawnMaster team so we can stay at the cutting-edge of business. From world-class products to delivering the best customer support, we believe you deserve the best, and you continue to challenge us to be the best. As we continue to take this journey together, we wanted to take this time to thank you.

We wouldn’t be who we are without you, PawnMaster Nation.

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message from the president

Adapting to Changes

Kerry Rainey NPA President bayoupawn.npa@ gmail.com

AS I WRITE THIS MESSAGE, it is difficult to imagine how the world might look when these words finally make it to print in a few months. Today is April 27, 2020, and the enduring sun and calm streets seem at odds with the veil of uneasiness and confusion that have shrouded every facet of life. I’m hopeful that by the time you read this, life is slowly returning to normal, your businesses are successful, the pandemic is abating, and the economy in your neck of the woods is returning to normal.

Looking into the future, there are things I don’t have to guess at. Already, I’m seeing fellow pawnbrokers across the country working to adapt their businesses to the new normal at lightning pace. I’m seeing my colleagues take care of their employees and customers by practicing social distancing and adopting health and safety measures in their pawn stores.

As this crisis continues, I also foresee that pawnbrokers will do even more to self-regulate their business practices conservatively, professionally, and in line with local, state, and federal guidance.

We are essential businesses to our communities and want to remain that way.

These efforts will ensure that our timehonored profession will continue as we weather these unprecedented times.

The National Pawnbrokers Association will also look different. This, however, is a deliberate decision and not a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The leadership of the NPA has issued a clear directive to grow its membership, improve its services, and continue to support the pawn industry in its time of need. Our new Executive Director, Kristen Williams, has already

begun the hard work required to improve the NPA’s communication, educational offerings, and to keep the association running smoothly. We welcome her fresh and energetic approach.

Team GRC is serving a more pivotal role than ever before to guide us through the daily changes on the legislative front. There is no other organization like the NPA in the country. We provide the pawn industry, by far, with the best information, legal research, and government relations updates. Team GRC has been working hard on your behalf every single day to fight for your rights as a pawnbroker. They are also tracking legislation and updating the NPA leadership on a moment to moment basis. I have always believed that the NPA’s mission is to protect, fight for, and educate all pawnbrokers. In turn, I am proud to say that the NPA has made crisis-related information available to all pawnbrokers during these challenging times. This information can now be easily accessed by anyone on our website at NationalPawnbrokers.org.

The future is still uncertain. At this time, we have had to cancel this year’s Legislative Conference and Pawn Expo for 2020. But rest assured that we are working on both of these events to ensure they will take place in 2021. They are vital to the association, pawnbrokers, and industry partners across the U.S. We have a challenge ahead of us, for sure. However, if we band together and all do our part, we will emerge on the other side of this stronger, more unified, and even more capable of meeting the needs of our communities.

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contents Summer 2020

Cover Story Facebook Live Auctions: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

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Contributors for this issue of National Pawnbroker Fran Bishop NPA Government Relations Liaison Tim Collier Pacer, Ltd Felicia B. Ekelman, Douglas J. Klein, Allison M. Benz Jackson Lewis P.C.

Membership

HIGHLIGHTS Dealing With the Fallout of COVID-19 Crisis Management in the Aftermath of a Robbery

10 17

Getting the Most from

Your NPA Membership

13

Pawn Training Courses

33

Membership Meeting

Announcement

IN THIS ISSUE

Mike Hyman Lowers & Associates

41

NPA 2020

Membership Anniversaries

44

Message from the President

1

State Association Updates

48

Message from the Executive Director

4

New NPA Members

51

Business Solutions

Stop Fearing Luxury Handbags

Stopping Estate Jewelry

Synthetic Scams

Member Spotlights 22 38

Compliance

Don’t Risk Profits with

Poor ATF Compliance

34

Government Relations

2

Government Relations Update

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Pawnbroker

Industry Partner

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MultiStore Owner Profile

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Pawnder This

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Book Corner

15

Calendar of Events

52

Advertiser Index

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SUMMER 2020

Joseph Kavan & Michael Brown Kutak Rock LLP Rudy Klancnik Boyd Naylor Bali Credit Corp Kerry Rainey Bayou Pawn & Jewelry Phyllis Schiller Rapaport Group Deanna Thompson Marque Luxury

Repairs and Work Orders

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C o n s i g n m e n t

L i v State Regulation Compliance e

Custom Reporting Facebook Marketplace Listing App

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Credit Card Processing

B u y a

Training, Webinars, On-Demand Learning

Hard Goods Estimator

Credit Card Processing with BLUEDOG

Loan Walk Audit

R e Enterprise v i Bravo Reporting Pro e w Text Messaging Smart Search s e B a y

Accounting Integration

Amazon, Craigslist, Gunbroker Listing Tool

Signature Pad

Scrap & Jewelry ReďŹ ning Process

Daily Analytical Reports

Compliant A&D Book

A OFAC-SDN List Integration u t o m a t i c U Instant Web Search p d a t Personalized Onboarding e s

ID and Fingerprint Scanners

Physical Inventory Audit App

Automatic Backups

Multi-Transaction Processing

M o b i l e P a w n

C o Social Marketing Integration m p Retail, Products, and Purchase Orders a Time Clock n Price Slasher Discounter Loyalty Loan Bump y Remote Access from Anywhere

B r a n d e d

E m a i Vault Management l G i f t C a r d s

Pawn Ticket Couponing

Police Export Integration

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

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message from the executive director

NPA staff

We Stand Committed

Kristen Williams NPA Executive Director

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe, healthy, and otherwise comfortable in the midst of this unprecedented moment of history. We are all navigating uncharted waters, both personally and professionally. As your new NPA Executive Director, I want to assure you the entire NPA staff, Board of Directors, and Government Relations Committee are accessible to you and for your concerns at essentially any time. The NPA has always been committed to the needs and expectations of our membership. That commitment stands today.

Presently, I recognize you are facing challenges most never could have imagined. You may find yourselves uncertain about what state and federal assistance you might be entitled to and what plans could work best for you, and we are here to help with that. As pawnshops have been deemed “essential” at the federal level, as well as in most states, this crisis should serve as a reminder that pawn is an integral part of the financial fabric of local communities. That’s something I hope you are very proud of!

Something else you should be proud of is the leadership of my predecessor, Dana Meinecke. Dana has seen the organization through 15+ years of dedicated service during a critical time of growth and transition for the pawn industry. She has been incredibly gracious with the transition, and I am appreciative of her loyalty and commitment to the NPA. When the timing is right, I look forward to learning about each member’s history in the pawn industry, your experiences with the NPA, the challenges you have faced pre-COVID-19, and what expectations you may have with your new leadership (i.e., me). Together, there is a great deal of work to be done. I am thrilled to be joining you in this role and excited to bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to the NPA. Stay strong and be safe.

Sincerely, Kristen Williams NPA Executive Director

Kristen Williams Executive Director Kristen@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Helen Moore Director of Meetings & Events Helen@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Margie Swoyer Director of Communications & Marketing Margie@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Amy Kehoe Administrative Assistant Amy@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Mailing Address: PO Box 508, Keller, TX 76244

Physical Address: 2920 W Southlake Blvd, Ste 120 Southlake, TX 76092 Phone: (817) 337-8830 Fax: (817) 337-8875 NationalPawnbrokers.org

National Pawnbroker is the official publication of the National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA), and is published quarterly. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of Kristen Williams, NPA Executive Director. Sale or distribution of any or all of the contents of this magazine is prohibited. All rights reserved. For more information on advertising or to obtain additional copies of National Pawnbroker, call (817) 337-8830, or send an email to Margie@NationalPawnbrokers.org. For membership information, email Helen@NationalPawnbrokers.org.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information on the subject matter covered. It is provided and disseminated with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. If legal advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Expressed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ownership. © 2007-20 National Pawnbrokers Association: PO Box 508, Keller, TX 76244 • (817) 337-8830 NationalPawnbrokers.org EDITOR: Margie Swoyer, Margie@NationalPawnbrokers.org DESIGNED BY: SPARK Publications

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government relations

Dealing with COVID-19

F

Boyd Naylor NPA Vice President Chairman, NPA Government Relations Committee

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or this issue, I had planned to do an overview of the annual NPA Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, that was scheduled for April 21-22, 2020. I was going to relate some of the successful conversations we expected to have with our Members of Congress about why pawn transactions should not be covered by a federal 36% APR cap. Then, I was going to talk about everything we were all looking forward to during Pawn Expo in Las Vegas June 23-25. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had no other choice but to cancel both of these muchanticipated events.

Our nation’s President and the administration, Congress, governors, and state legislatures, together with

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SUMMER 2020

their numerous teams of health experts, economists, and more, are working tirelessly to curtail the spread of this terrible coronavirus and safely reopen the country.

We are all hoping for a return to something that resembles normal. Meanwhile, I want to take this opportunity to commend the entire pawn industry and all pawnbrokers for taking extraordinary steps to keep your doors open, observe the health and safety CDC guidelines, and continue making the financial services you provide on a daily basis available to your customers.

NPA’s Government Relations Team has also been working overtime to provide pawnbrokers everywhere with the information they needed to be open, stay open, be aware, and observe all federal,

state, and local guidelines. Team GRC has issued more Government Relations Updates and Legislative Alerts during the first four months of 2020 than they do during a ‘normal’ year (whatever that may be).

The decision was made early on to make the NPA website open to all pawnbrokers, regardless of whether an NPA member or not, so that each of the Updates, Alerts, and additional information was accessible to everyone. As we continue to hear over and over… ”We are all in this together!”…and that encompasses the entire pawn industry. Team GRC produced volumes of information to help you during this time, and we certainly hope you are taking advantage of it now and as we add more in the coming days.

Our NPA Government Relations Liaison, Fran Bishop, has searched for listings and designations of pawnbrokers as ‘essential businesses’ included by state governors’ in their Executive Orders, Public Health Offices, Regulatory Statements, Department of Homeland Security CISA Guidelines, U.S. Treasury Secretary’s Financial Services Sector memorandum, and more. These were all made available to you on our website, NationalPawnbrokers. org, and/or Fran emailed this information directly to you upon request.

Professor Sarah Jane Hughes, NPA Regulatory Counsel, worked countless hours poring over all of the legislation, guidelines, and FAQs coming out of Washington, so she and Fran could disseminate the pertinent information for the

pawn industry to you via these Updates and Alerts, often more than once a day. NPA Lobbyist, Cliff Andrews, kept the email channels and phone lines hot with the Congressional offices on the Hill in Washington. Grassroots efforts were made by some of our NPA Board of Directors to their Members of Congress letting them know what obstacles and challenges were being met by pawnbrokers back home on Main Street, and these were followed up in DC by Cliff.

Although we are by no means done, all in all, this has been a tremendous team effort by you, our members and non-members, the NPA staff, Officers, and Directors, and ultimately where the buck keeps stopping…our Government Relations Team. Thank you!

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pawnbroker spotlight

Taking Care of Business in Sanford

K

endale Pawn Shop in Sanford, NC, has been a member of the NPA for the past 28 years, but owner/manager, Johnny Whiteside, has worked at the store even longer – 34 years in fact. Johnny, who likes to get involved in things, has been on the board of the NC Pawnbrokers Association for many years and is proud of how vigilant they have been in protecting the industry in NC. He also serves on NPA’s Board of Directors.

Johnny Whiteside of Kendale Pawn Shop in Sanford, NC

National Pawnbroker (NP): How did you personally get started in the pawn business?

Johnny Whiteside (JW): My father-in-law opened the business in 1980. I met [his daughter] Tara in 1983 and worked at the store part-time on the weekends when I came from UNC Charlotte to see her; we married in 1986. I was preparing to go to law school at the University of North Carolina, but I decided I enjoyed working at the shop.

NP: What kinds of things do you normally take in on pawn?

JW: Firearms, jewelry, other hard goods, and electronics.

NP: In your opinion, what are the biggest

challenges facing pawnbrokers today?

JW: To me, online sales are the biggest challenge to any brick and mortar store right now. Being big in firearms helps in that even online-ordered firearms must get through an FFL, so we do a lot of transfers and make a little on each one.

NP: What makes your store different from other

pawn stores in your area?

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JW: Currently, there is only one other store in our town.

What sets us apart is how long we have been in business and the customer service we proudly provide. Several employees have been with me well over 20 years, and we stress customer service!

NP: What is the most memorable moment of your pawnbroking career so far?

JW: The 15 years or so that I spent working with Jimmy

Johnson, my father-in-law. He taught me so much about dealing with people and running a successful business.

NP: How does your company give back to your community?

JW: We sponsor 30-40 fundraisers every year for different organizations and churches as well as donate other items for raffles to raise money for individuals and charitable groups throughout the community.

NP: What is the most unique item pawned at your store?

JW: The most interesting thing I did not take was a prosthetic leg. The man just did not understand that there was nowhere for me to resell it if I had to!

NP: What advice would you give to someone thinking about going into the pawn business?

JW: Be prepared to not make any money for the first several years because you will be putting it all back in the business. Also, it can be one of the most rewarding careers you can ever get into, and you have to sell yourself through great customer service.

NP: What is your favorite thing about being

a pawnbroker?

JW: Hands down, it’s talking with and dealing with customers! I don’t get to spend enough time on the counter, so I really enjoy doing gun shows where I am with customers all day; we do 11 shows a year.

Having been in the business so long, I now have thirdgeneration customers that I deal with.

NP: How has your career as a pawnbroker

affected your view of the world today?

JW: We see a lot of people at low points in their

lives, but there are good people in this world. While not every customer is a delight to deal with, most are appreciative of our help.

NP: Why are you a member of NPA? JW: I have always felt the need to be involved

and active in anything I do, be it work, church, or any other organizations I have been in. The NPA does great work in protecting our industry on the national level and needs the support of every pawnbroker possible.

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compliance

Dealing With the Fallout of COVID-19

EMPLOYMENT ISSUES TO CONSIDER WHEN REOPENING YOUR BUSINESS

By Felice B. Ekelman, Douglas J. Klein, Allison M. Benz Jackson Lewis P.C.

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eemingly overnight, retail businesses all across the world were told to shut their doors for the foreseeable future to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19. As companies had to grapple with what that meant for their businesses, it also meant drastically reducing their workforce. However, once stores are able to open their doors to customers again, business owners

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will be faced with many issues in the days and weeks following the day they can finally reopen and bring their employees back to work.

At the beginning of the pandemic, counties, municipalities, and states imposed “stay at home” and “shelter in place” orders, which closed nonessential businesses to the public.

At that time, companies needed to decide whether to furlough or lay off employees. The difference between

a furlough and a layoff is important for employers to know once they seek to reopen their business. A furlough is a temporary situation in which an employee’s hours are reduced or they are placed on unpaid leave for a certain amount of time—typically until a business has enough work to increase their hours or bring them back to work. A layoff is a permanent situation in which the employee is formally separated from the company. Once businesses are able to reopen, furloughed employees, in accordance with the terms of the furlough which typically provides for furloughed employees to be brought back first, should be brought back to work before re-hiring any laid off employees.

Furloughed employees should be reinstated before offers are made to new employees. Once furloughed employees have been reinstated and employers are ready to hire additional staff, care should be taken to ensure that the process is not subject to legal challenge.

Employers that want to bring back employees who were laid off must formally rehire these employees.

This means that employers will need to complete I-9 forms, tax withholding documentation, wage notice forms, issue employment agreements and handbooks, and ensure that rehired employees have executed all the documents required for new hires. While employers are under no legal obligation to rehire laid off employees, hiring decisions must be based on the qualifications of applicants. Employers who opt to hire new employees over former employees who were laid off, should be prepared to justify these decisions in the event laid off employees challenge the hiring decision and claim that the decision was based on discriminatory bias or retaliation.

As businesses start to open up again, employers should be aware that a flurry of litigation related to layoffs could be coming. This could include litigation related to improper notices of layoffs in violation of federal and state laws, alleged discrimination in the decisions to terminate some or all employees, and even wage and hour suits for those who had their hours drastically reduced. Therefore, employers should be able to articulate a business justification for their business decisions, as well as the decision to reinstate some laid off employees before others.

As a result of the massive layoffs and furloughs that occurred in connection with COVID-19, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) in March.

The stimulus package created three unemployment insurance programs that employers should be aware of, as they increased both the amount of benefits and the number of weeks a claimant can receive unemployment benefits.

The Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, and the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program all are federally funded, and are meant to supplement state unemployment benefits, which vary state by state. The Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program runs through July 31, 2020, and provides $600 per week in compensation to claimants, in addition to their usual calculated benefits. The Pandemic Emergency SUMMER 2020

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Unemployment Compensation program provides an additional 13 weeks of state unemployment benefits, which becomes available to a claimant after they have exhausted all of their state unemployment benefits. Lastly, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which runs through December 31, 2020, provides emergency assistance to workers who may not be able to receive state unemployment benefits or workers who have already exhausted their state unemployment benefits. Though these programs are currently slated to expire months after their passage, the likelihood that Congress will pass additional laws related to relief are likely, which will affect when some employees can return to work.

While COVID-19 has upended businesses and changed the way consumers behave, employers need to be prepared once they can fully reopen their business to ensure they are complying with all federal, state, and local laws.

©2020 Jackson Lewis P.C. This material is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute legal advice nor does it create a client-lawyer relationship between Jackson Lewis and any recipient.

Recipients should consult with counsel before taking any actions based on the information contained within this material.

This material may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Focused on labor and employment law since 1958, Jackson Lewis P.C.’s 950+ attorneys located in major cities nationwide consistently identify and respond to new ways workplace law intersects business. We help employers develop proactive strategies, strong policies and business-oriented solutions to cultivate high-functioning workforces that are engaged, stable and diverse, and share our clients’ goals to emphasize inclusivity and respect for the contribution of every employee. For more information, visit https://www.jacksonlewis.com.

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member benefits

Getting the Most From Your NPA Membership

How to add your company information and set up “member deals” Do you know that the NPA offers you the ability to list your company name, logo, and business details in the Member Directory on the NPA website and that you can post “member deals” that your new and returning customers can view? Both are benefits of your NPA membership.

Company Information and Logo Extend your brand by adding your company information to your personal member page in the Member Directory. You can view it at nationalpawnbrokers.org/ member-directory.

To add your corporate logo and company information: n

o to the Membership G Manage link on the top blue bar of the NPA website or go to Nationalpawnbrokers.org/ membership-manage

n

Be sure to Sign In

n

Click the tab named Profile

n

dd your logo, images of A your business, business description, and social links

n

o to the Membership G Manage link on the top blue bar of the NPA website or go to Nationalpawnbrokers.org/ membership-manage

n

lick the SAVE & C CONTINUE button at the bottom of the page to publish the information

n

dd your deal image, A description, title, and a bar code, coupon, or other image, if desired

n

lick the CREATE button C at the bottom of the page to publish the Member Deal

Member Deals Whether you’re a Pawnbroker or an Industry Partner member, you can also advertise special “Member Deals” by adding promotional messages to your member profile page that visitors to the NPA website can view. The current Member Deals can be found at nationalpawnbroker.org/ member-deals. It’s simple to add your promotion and you can change it as often as you wish.

To add a “Member Deal” to your Member Directory listing:

n

Be sure to Sign In

n

Click the tab named Deal

Make sure you’re taking advantage of these branding and marketing benefits available with your NPA membership.

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business solutions

Crisis Management in the Aftermath of a Robbery

by Lowers & Associates

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business solutions

W “Admittedly, robberies are often considered ‘low probabilityhigh consequence’ situations or threats, but the truth is a robbery can be extremely damaging, if not disastrous, for a business.”

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ith their unique combination of cash, jewelry, firearms, and other lucrative items, pawn businesses present criminals with an attractive target. As a result, pawnbrokers everywhere are at a uniquely high risk for a robbery.

Unlike a burglary, which happens when the property is unoccupied, the fallout from a robbery can be complicated to deal with because it involves the unlawful taking of property from another by force, or under the direct or implicit threat of force, when someone is present in the shop.

‘Smash and grab’ robberies, where the criminal smashes open a showcase and grabs firearms and jewelry, and the more sophisticated methods that involve distractions and groups of criminals working together, both present issues for pawnbrokers. While the risk of robbery is undeniably at its highest during business opening and closing hours or when transporting goods off-premises, robberies can happen any time a shop is occupied.

Especially concerning for owners is the fact that most robberies involve a weapon.

Admittedly, robberies are often considered ‘low probability-high consequence’ situations or threats, but the truth is a robbery can be extremely damaging, if not disastrous, for a business. It’s a reality that every owner in the pawn industry must be prepared to deal with. Should a robbery occur, it will be the single, most difficult event a pawn business may have to manage.

Establishments that have the appropriate training, policies, and procedures in place and that utilize

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common risk management strategies like preparation, prevention, and deterrence make their business a harder target for criminals. But there is another side to the risk management equation when it comes to robberies that can’t go overlooked: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A ROBBERY OCCURS?

It’s here that crisis management becomes an integral part of every pawnbroker’s risk strategy.

What should a crisis management strategy include? Without a strategy, a crisis, such as a robbery, can quickly spin a business out of control leaving it struggling to recover. Proper crisis management strategy should address what happens both in the immediate aftermath of a robbery and beyond as the business returns to normal operation.

PROTOCOLS FOR THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH

Immediately following a robbery or attempted robbery, certain actions can be essential to a productive investigation, arrest, and recovery of property. Quick resolutions of robberies are seldom possible without the alertness of the staff and other eyewitnesses.

Frequently, they hold the only key to help solve the robbery.

For these reasons, it is important to have a clearly defined strategy for the immediate aftermath. This strategy should include protocols for reaching law enforcement, ensuring assets are protected, preserving the crime scene, collecting witness information, and handling media inquiries, among other steps.

PROTOCOLS FOR THE LONGERTERM AFTERMATH

After a robbery occurs, it is important to begin assembling documentation that will help the law enforcement investigator, company investigator, and company insurance broker or insurance investigator help the business. Some of these steps may include obtaining CCTV recordings, calculating the total amount of the loss, preparing injury reports, collecting written statements from employees involved in the incident, and other follow-up steps.

In addition, when a robbery results in injury or death, it’s extremely important to address the trauma experienced by the individuals who were directly involved in the incident. These individuals could be employees, managers, customers, or the community as a whole. Here, the business owner may need to facilitate counseling for victims, families, and store personnel. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) contact may also be required along with facilitating worker’s compensation claims. In some cases, as the business owner, legal action may be required to protect himself or herself, the business, and/or the employees.

SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY AND MEDIA RELATIONS

Crisis management often rightfully focuses on protecting people and profits. However, there is another aspect of protection to consider: the brand. In times of crisis, some employees, customers, the media, and the community at large may lose confidence in the business’ brand. These stakeholders may

Crisis Management: Pawn Shop Robberies ACT

RECOVER

RESPOND

Stay alert! Once a robbery begins, it is essentially already over.

Immediately after the robbery:

Once the situation has leveled:

· Call law enforcement ·W rite down all details · Do not exit the store ·L ock doors, ask witnesses to remain ·T ake contact info from anyone who departs · Preserve crime scene

·A ssist affected employees/victims ·A ctivate business continuity plan (BCP) ·E nlist emergency action team ·R eport lost firearms as required ·C ontact affected customers · Work with your insurer · Contact OSHA as required ·E ngage in media and community relations

· Don’t fight back · Comply, but do not aid the robber · Use your duress alarms · Advise robber of any usual moves you must make · Never allow the robber to take you with them · Notice identifying features · Identify weapon used · Watch what robber touches with bare hands · If you are armed, consider “Draw Against the Drop”

LowersRisk.com

want to know what happened, how it happened, and what the business will do to prevent it from happening again. The media and the community may closely monitor how the business owner responds, and how he or she works with those affected.

As such, the crisis management plan must include specific strategies for bolstering relationships in the community and with the media.

Open, honest, and compassionate communication can go a long way.

Business owners should appoint a designated media contact and spokesperson to be accessible to the media and to address community concerns.

In the pawn industry, the threat of a robbery is a fact of doing business.

Managing the threat involves more than just knowing what to do in the face of the threat; it’s about having a plan to manage the aftermath.

Every business owner should be asking how they can improve their approach going forward.

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Committed to building trust through service, Lowers Risk Group uses a combination of experienced human intelligence, leading-edge processes and appropriate technology to provide enterprise risk management solutions to thousands of organizations around the world that operate in high-risk, highly-regulated environments. Our comprehensive suite of services is designed to protect people, brands, and profits, bringing together in-depth assessments, standard-bearing loss prevention techniques, verified compliance solutions and rapid asset recovery to serve a diverse ecosystem of industries, including cash-in-transit, healthcare, fine art and specie, and more. And with industry-leading expertise in public records research, verifications, background screening, continuous monitoring, financial forensics and UAV, Lowers Risk Group is uniquely positioned to also provide organizations tools to reduce employee risk while simultaneously providing insurers the ability to quickly evaluate, quote and underwrite against physical threats, cyber breaches, property and casualty losses and more. Learn how your business can become more resilient and create a future full of opportunity by visiting LowersRiskGroup.com today.

For more information, contact Mike Hyman, Lowers & Associates, (540) 338-7151, mhyman@lowersrisk.com.

NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION

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business solutions

Stop Fearing Luxury Handbags

By Deanna Thompson, Marque Luxury

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H

ave you heard the quote, “Do one thing every day that scares you”? Well, it’s time to face your fear of luxury, conquer it, and start making money. Don’t worry - I’m going to hold your hand the whole way. Together, we’re going to change your perception and understand fully what you shouldn’t be afraid of.

While the majority of you have embraced the luxury market, there are still hundreds of store owners that are either too afraid to jump in due to lack of knowledge on the market or don’t feel as though their area will sustain it. Both of these notions are creating a wall between you and huge profits and I’m going to help you break them down.

I was in Bakersfield for an appointment with a pawn shop and, because I am not good with directions, I ended up at a completely different store. I walked in thinking I was at the right place and presented my product. While they loved seeing it in action, they proceeded to tell me that their customers do not carry high-end brands, and the area they are located in would not support it. Now, I have heard this statement at least 100 times and while I tried to explain that their market could be worldwide, they shut me down. I thanked them for their time and headed over to the correct store, first stopping at a Starbucks exactly two blocks away.

As I walked in, I chuckled. In line and at the tables, I counted four Louis Vuitton bags, one Yves Saint Laurent bag, and two Gucci bags.

And yes, they were real!

As a business owner, you cannot assume what your customers will or won’t like unless you give them the opportunity to make that decision

themselves. Hopefully, as you read this, and as we have come out of the coronavirus pandemic, you will be able to fully implement sales avenues through your social media profiles and website, which will broaden your customer base.

Now, let’s break down the wall of fear. Remember when you first started in the pawn industry?

You didn’t know anything about running a business, or about gold or diamonds, or even luxury watches, but you learned.

Through time and research, you became a go-to source for your community because you knew how to tell the difference between a fake and a real Rolex watch, if diamonds were made in a lab or were out of the earth, and became a master at knowing if gold is 10K, 14K, 18K, or just plated. This is how you need to look at the luxury market and handbags.

You need to build this category in your store like you did for your jewelry, guns, electronics, and everything else. Starting with the educational piece first is key.

There are several websites out there for you to learn from. Posh Pawn is one that is consistently building a database of luxury bags and their style names.

Fashionphile, The RealReal, and Ann’s Fabulous Finds are three of my go-to sources to find both style names and resale pricing. Start with the most popular brands Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, as these are the ones you will see on a consistent basis.

A FEW TIPS ON AUTHENTICATION: n

Deanna Thompson

“While the majority of you have embraced the luxury market, there are still hundreds of store owners that are either too afraid to jump in due to lack of knowledge on the market or don’t feel as though their area will sustain it”.

E veryone has a story, but don’t believe them.

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Thank You for 50 Years Celebrating Stuller’s Golden Anniversary

From all of us at Stuller, we sincerely thank you for letting us be your supplier and manufacturer of all things jewelry-related for the past five decades — and we look forward to being your industry partner for many more.

As 2020 gets underway, keep an eye on our social media platforms to join in the celebration. After all, we couldn’t have made it this far without you.

Stuller.com 24

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business solutions N o one has a boyfriend or rich aunt/grandma that left these bags to them. nI f it looks and feels like crap, it is. nO nly look at the bag itself: boxes, receipts, dustbags, or anything “removable” can be, and is, counterfeited.

Also, don’t feel like you need to know everything at once. As time goes on and you see more and more bags come into your store, you will pick up on the nuances of each brand. Pick one brand, like Louis Vuitton, and learn as much as you can about it. When you feel like you have a basic understanding, move to a new brand. Your customers will appreciate your knowledge, except when you tell them their item is fake!

The second wall is a big one and that’s your customers, local or not. In this day and age, especially at the end of 2020, if you haven’t grown your online presence, you are basically at the mercy of walk-in traffic, and that will not produce the growth you need to survive.

If you have not offered loans or purchasing outright for luxury handbags, now is the time to test the market. Remember the saying, “If you build it, he will come”? Trust me when I say that if you have bags in your store, people will come in to buy, sell, and with keeping the end goal in mind, take a loan on their bags. But if you’re not even a thought in your customer’s mind, why would they bring you a $4,500 Chanel bag?

The most successful way to test your market is to have bags in your store, but first, create your plan.

Bring in three to five luxury bags, preferably Louis Vuitton, as this is going to be your biggest selling brand. You can either hit up your network for handbags, or you can n

bring them in via wholesale.

Create a simple sign to hang in your window saying that you now take luxury handbags. You can use the name of the brand, along with a picture of a handbag, but do not use their logo. You will also need to market this, but you will not have to spend a bunch of money here. Start small, sharing on your social media and telling your current customers, friends, family, and everyone you come into contact with. Even holding a small VIP event one evening will do wonders for your store and will get the word out there.

Another good idea is to create a “wish” list, virtually and in-store.

Create a poll on Facebook and/or Instagram asking your customers which brands they would like to see in your store.

I understand that a few of your locations or themes of your stores truly do not warrant luxury handbags, but if there is a way to create a new stream of revenue, you have the whole world open to you.

“You need to build this category in your store like you did for your jewelry, guns, electronics, and everything else. Starting with the educational piece first is key.”

FOR LUXURY HANDBAG SALES SUCCESS:

1. E ducate yourself 2. L earn from your peers what works and what doesn’t 3. T est your market 4. B ring in bags via wholesale 5. T ell everyone what you’re doing – share, share, share The luxury resale industry is slated to grow to $36 billion in 2021, so now is the time to grab your share.

Deanna Thompson is the author of “The Beginner’s Guide to Luxury Handbags” and is the Head of Strategic Operations at Marque Luxury.

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Facebook Live Auctions: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

B

izarre times! The COVID-19 pandemic has sunk its teeth deep into the economy and, while pawn shops in several states are considered essential businesses, many are taking a huge hit in retail sales.

Pawnbrokers who have traditionally stuck to the orthodox conventions of brick and mortar sales are

moving with lightning speed toward social media, e-commerce, and other forms of online selling.

In the last few months, Facebook Live auctions have emerged as a popular and effective method of connecting with customers and allowing them to bid on merchandise that’s otherwise collecting dust while the shop’s retail operations

WHAT IS A FACEBOOK LIVE AUCTION? In theory, it’s simple. Utilizing the live streaming video feature on any Facebook business or personal account, pawnbrokers can display their merchandise, talk about it, demonstrate its features, answer inquiries, and allow viewers to place bids on those items in the comments section, all in real time. There are, however, several aspects to organize and plan before going live on Facebook for all the world to see.

GET YOUR GEAR Super Basic

It’s great to be ambitious, but if you’re just getting started, it’s important not to get overwhelmed. There are so many options today, and it’s easy to become lost in a labyrinth of technicalities.

A simple auction can be produced using:

are shuttered. For pawnbrokers who traditionally use Facebook Groups or marketplace to showcase items, a live auction has greater potential to tap into an existing customer base while connecting on a more personal level with clients to form long-term relationships. Here’s a step-bystep guide to taking your business to broadcast.

1. a smartphone secured to a stand, 2. the items up for auction, 3. and yourself.

Lighting and sound should never be overlooked, but a basic set up does not place as much emphasis on these elements. Just be sure the audience can see and hear you clearly. Also, it’s great to have one or two extra assistants on hand to help respond to comments, move items behind the scenes, and handle any other matters while you’re on camera.

Intermediate

Bring an added level of production quality by considering lighting, audio, and background elements.

Background - Use a natural or uncluttered background or a backdrop kit. Your background needn’t be boring, but it should be mostly static so as not to distract the viewer from the item up for auction. Avoid having bright lights or windows in the shot as these can cause significant glaring.

Lighting - Lighting brings warmth and vivid detail to the screen. Consider using the following:

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business solutions 1. Adjustable desk lamp with an incandescent bulb that provides a warm flattering light to your face 2. LED ring light with variable color settings that connects easily to a mobile device 3. Professional level on camera LED lighting setup ProTip: Anytime you use LED lighting, make sure it has a variable-color light that provides adjustable color temperature from 3200k to 5600k lumens. This will warm the tone of the light to avoid stark white and hard shadows. This light should be dimmable, providing flicker-free illumination.

Super Savvy

Simulcasting - Sophisticated auctions use simulcasting programs that allow for multi-camera shots, lower third graphics, enhanced backgrounds, green screen capabilities, and scrolling text. The feed is then plunged into your social media channels.

Three popular simulcasting programs are: 1. OBS (Open Broadcast Software) An open source product for Windows, Mac, Linux

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2. eCamm - A simulcast program for Mac users 3. Zoom - A consumer-friendly program that is widely used for streaming and simulcasting Simulcasting can also allow you to aggregate comments (i.e., bids) from various social platforms simultaneously, increasing your reach.

Camera - Almost every laptop computer or mobile device has a camera, however, quality may vary or may be poor. You may want to bump up your video quality by using the following: 1. An external webcam - Webcams offer shaper images, auto focus, and image correction, and generally give your live stream a more professional appearance. Most high-quality webcams are priced starting at $50.

2. A laptop stand - If you’re operating from a laptop, a laptop stand will securely raise the angle of the built-in camera to a more flattering degree.

Wireless audio headsets - Audio headsets are not necessary, but they can dramatically improve the audio quality of your live auction. Whether you’re using Appleid-ear Earpods with a built-in microphone or a higher quality headset with a microphone arm, your audience will catch every last syllable of your “sell.” Take audio to an even higher level with a prolevel USB microphone. A good quality microphone will dramatically improve the quality and warmth of your voice.

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SETTING UP Make your auction as visually appealing as possible.

1. Camera position - Your camera, whether it’s on your phone, laptop, or a web camera should be positioned slightly above your eyes, which is a more flattering angle than looking down into the lens. As mentioned above, a laptop stand will help raise the laptop with more security and will give you more flexibility to control the camera angle. Don’t have a stand? You can place it on a stack of books or a box. Just make sure your device is secure.

2. Multi-Camera Shoots - Keep one camera on a still wide shot, framing the host and the setup. A second shot should be close up on the product.

3. Lighting position - Consider these lighting positions: a. Key lighting - Your “key light” should be two to three feet in front of your face and positioned slightly above your head. b. Side lighting - Position two lights or lamps to the right and left of your camera approximately three to four feet away to provide a balanced glow on both sides of your face. c. Product lighting - When lighting the products you want to sell, you’ll want to use enough bright white light to showcase the features and details.

ORGANIZING YOUR FACEBOOK LIVE AUCTION Collect your items: Choosing the right items to auction is really about knowing your audience and their tastes. Just remember, while we’re experiencing one of the largest economic contractions in history, viewers may not be interested in buying your most expensive

products. That said, auctioneers are still moving luxury handbags and jewelry. Sell items that you have knowledge about and that you can easily talk about.

Select a time for the auction: Pick a time slot for your event and meet it every week.

Rules to consider for the auction: Will you start with a reserve bid? How long will you wait if the reserve bid isn’t met before moving to the next item?

Demonstrate how viewers will place their bids in the comments. How will winning bidders contact you once they’ve won the item? Do you take payments via PayPal, Square, something else? What’s the method of shipping and the associated costs? Will sales tax be collected?

Promote: Create an event on Facebook announcing the auction.

You should include an album with photos of each item to be included and a detailed description. In the event description, lay out the rules and terms of the auction. Boost the event to expand the reach of those who see it.

Build Hype: Live stream a preview of the merchandise a few days before your auction. It gives the audience a chance to get to know you ahead of time, connect on a personal level, and ask questions about the items you’ll be auctioning. It also gives time for your audience to share information about the event with their friends.

GO LIVE Once you have your shoot set up, your items ready for auction, and you’re live, consider the following: 1. Plan to be on camera for about an hour. This may sound difficult, especially if you’re starting with

a small audience, but most auctioneers are amazed at how quickly the time flies.

2. Latency: Remember there is a delay of up to 15 seconds between live recording and what the viewer sees. Allow time for viewers to place bids before the hammer falls.

3. For the first five to ten minutes after start time, explain clearly the rules of the auction. Be as clear as possible before beginning the process. This allows time for latecomers.

4. Have the auction rules posted in the video description for anyone who joins the auction in the middle of the broadcast.

5. Are you simulcasting to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or some other platform? Be sure that viewers know they are bidding against viewers tuning in from other platforms. If your software allows it, aggregate all comments so that everyone is aware of the current bid.

6. Having the terms written allows users who join late to know how the process works. It’s important to have an assistant who is to monitoring the bids and following up with buyers behind the scenes.

7. Build a mom and pop community feeling by remembering personal facts about people as they return for future auctions.

8. Be entertaining. Be a personality. People have short attention spans, so if you can charm them a bit, they will hang in.

POST PRODUCTION When you’ve ended your broadcast, you’ll find you’ve suddenly got great promotional content for the next auction. Trim and edit your video down into a commercial to entice viewers back for the next event.

Simulcasting Tip Slow, fuzzy, or latent video images? n Upgrade your internet speed. n Replace your wireless router

with a newer model. n Measure your upload speed:

the bit rate should be half your upload speed. n Turn off all non-essential

computer applications; they may be drawing computing power away from your streaming application. n Turn off any applications that

LOOKING BEYOND AUCTIONS There are some who argue that live auctions aren’t the best SUMMER 2020

way. People have short attention spans and, unless you’re naturally energetic, charismatic, and entertaining, your customers may not stay online to hear you talk about a pair of sunglasses for 10 minutes.

As a solution, consider selling multiple items at once in a “buy it now” format. Introduce a first item. Talk about it briefly, then lay it on the table with the price and a number and move on to a related item. This allows you to group similar items with different features. When an item is bought, remove it from the table and replace it a with the next item.

may be performing background syncing on your computer, such as DropBox or iCloud.

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industry partner spotlight

Jack Brown, Director of Operations

Meeting Supply and Demand in the Precious Metals Industry MID-STATES RECYCLING & REFINING

“All Industry Partners, not just Mid-States, should have a vested interest in supporting the NPA! A healthy and viable pawn industry is mandatory to the success of all companies providing products and services to pawnbrokers.”

—Jack Brown

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M

id-States Recycling & Refining’s core business is smelting, assaying, and refining secondary precious metals, but they are also wholesalers of fine metal and alloys to the jewelry and silver brazing industries as well as distributors of a full range of investment grade bullion products.

Ellis Brown, former president of Simmons Refining Company, started Mid-States in 1981 when the Simmons owner retired and liquidated the company. Around the same time, Jack Brown, Ellis’ son, moved back to Chicago after a stint with the Brunswick Corporation in central Pennsylvania and took over sales for the company. MidStates has now been in business for 37 years and has 23 employees in two locations in Illinois – Des Plaines and Chicago’s “Loop” area.

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One of the trends that Jack, Director of Operations, is now seeing is gross consolidation in the industry. The closure of two of the largest domestic refining operations in the last two years and the drop in the available volume of higher-grade precious metals, like karat gold jewelry scrap, have forced the company to grow their metal volume through alternative sources of precious metal recyclables to maintain profitability.

“I think the biggest challenge to our industry is that we have to be volume driven at the margins we are forced to compete with if we are going to remain profitable. We deal in commodities with prices that fluctuate from speculatively driven markets as well as the cyclical nature of the metal industry where there can be drastic changes to supply and

demand and outside forces that also can affect mining production to the primary supply. Without the ability to sustain high volumes of metal throughput, it’s difficult to survive in this industry,” says Jack.

To differentiate themselves from their competitors, Mid-States hires the best people with experience specific to the industry. Any time a customer calls, there are multiple people with the ability and knowledge to help them. “We provide our customers complete transparency in everything we do,” Jack adds.

Mid-States has been a prominent fixture at Pawn Expo for many years as well as at most of the regional and state pawn conventions. They often provide education on what should (and should not) happen at a precious metal processing facility.

The company’s key to success is to do what they do – and do it well.

Jack’s greatest accomplishments

since he began working in the precious metals industry is “finding the right formula to continue to be successful in this business for over 37 years. Surrounding myself with the best people in the industry, maintaining the company’s stellar reputation for the highest ethics and most competent service to our customers, and respecting the friendships, relationships, and loyalty of everyone we do business with.”

For someone beginning their career in the refining industry, Jack’s advice is to make sure they have an aptitude for understanding technical processes, and make sure their first job is with a highly regarded precious metal refiner whose facility has full in-house melting, assaying, and all other extensive chemical processing capabilities. Then, when they’re ready to open their own operation, make sure they “have access to a boatload of working capital.”

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When asked about the importance of their membership with NPA, Jack says, “All Industry Partners, not just Mid-States, should have a vested interest in supporting the NPA! A healthy and viable pawn industry is mandatory to the success of all companies providing products and services to pawnbrokers. This not only includes precious metal buyers and refiners, but also diamond and gemstone dealers, insurance and software providers, the watch and jewelry trade, as well as companies dealing in the firearm space. The NPA is currently the only trade association that is actively monitoring and successfully affecting legislation on the federal level that will affect the future of the industry.”

For more information about Mid-States Recycling & Refining, call (847) 298-0010 or email sales@midstatesrecycling.com.

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Tired of the same old tricks?

Beware. Empty claims don’t mean you’re really maximizing your return.

Is your refiner fully transparent? Do you have full access?

Mid-States takes great pride in maintaining the highest standards of honest, ethical practice. Corrected fire assay performed by an expert Chemist. Providing a customer sample upon request with every melt. Complete transparency with full access to witness the weighing, melting, and sampling of your precious metal materials.

Every day, for every melt, without compromise.

Respected. Trustworthy. Financially Sound for Over 35 Years. MID-STATES.

90% Interest-Free Advances and 24-Hour Settlements Available MID-STATES RECYCLING 1841 Busse Highway, Des Plaines, IL 60016 • 847.298.0010 32 | NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS www.MidStatesRecycling.com

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membership

Pawn Training Courses

By Tim Collier, NPA Past President

T

hese are certainly trying times that we are living through, and they are unprecedented in our lifetime. The scope and magnitude of “stay at home” orders across the country have put a tremendous burden on many working people.

One thing that has become the norm, because in-person groups have been limited, is AMI (Alternative Methods of Instruction) for our students in high school and college. Part of that has been accomplished through Zoom meetings or FaceTime.

Because so many employees are working at home, what better time to offer training on a laptop, iPad, or home computer? The NPA Board of Directors and NPA membership committee made the decision to offer the Certified Pawn Professional modules as stand-alone training courses to pawnbrokers.

All NPA members can receive one free module each year upon joining or renewing their membership. This new benefit was scheduled to be announced at Pawn Expo in June, along with a seminar, but due to the current coronavirus crisis, it was rolled out early.

These modules, valued at $500 each, offer indepth coverage on a number of pawn-related topics, and can be used as reference guides, refresher courses, or as training tools for you and your employees. Each course includes a workbook, a facilitator’s guide book, and an exam with a test key.

Additional modules can be purchased for $399 each, or all six can be purchased for $1999.

These training modules were created by pawnbrokers for pawnbrokers and include: nS tore Operations nM arketing, Advertising, and Public Relations nF ederal Regulations nP roduct Knowledge nS ecurity, Risk, and Crisis Management nH uman Resources This new member benefit is another way the NPA is creating value for all pawnbrokers. We look forward to working together in the future as we create more exciting times for our industry.

To get your free pawn training course, send an email to Info@NationalPawnbrokers.org and indicate the name of the course you wish to receive.

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compliance

Don’t Risk Profits With Poor ATF Compliance 34

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“Always remember, the best defense available to you is to avoid problems before they arise.”

By Joseph Kavan and Michael Brown, Kutak Rock LLP

C

ompliance with the Gun Control Act (GCA) and federal regulations isn’t just a goal – it’s the law, and compliance failures can, and have, resulted in revocation of licenses, and may result in civil fines.

However, you shouldn’t need to worry about an ATF inspection if you take compliance seriously and invest the time to be prepared.

The ATF tries to inspect every Federal Firearms License (FFL) at least once every five years, so if you have not yet been inspected – it will happen soon. In 2018, there were over 10,000 compliance inspections performed

by ATF. 42.4% of those inspections revealed no violations. However, nearly 11% of these inspections resulted in the issuance of a

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compliance Warning Latter, and nearly 4% of those resulted in a Warning Conference, a surrender of license in lieu of suspension or a revocation of license.

There are several simple steps you can take to ensure success when your inspection is conducted. It begins with inventory control and absolute daily reconciliation of your inventory to your Acquisition and Disposition Record. Know that your inspection will include a physical inventory of all firearms on hand. Verify that acquisitions and dispositions are correctly and timely recorded in your Bound Book. Don’t let these transactions stack up with the thought that you will get to them later. Do it before you go home at night. Review Form 4473 while the customer is in your store, and have at least two people review the sale and the 4473 to identify and rectify any errors or omissions you find.

Revise and refresh policies and training as often as needed to keep your staff up-to-date and working in compliance with the law.

Enlist the aid of consultants to help you maintain compliance as part of your general business plan, if necessary. Do mock inspections or hire a consultant to conduct one for you. You will be surprised what it can reveal to you before the ATF arrives to conduct its inspection.

HOW ELSE MIGHT YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN FIREARMS-RELATED LITIGATION? A firearm may be discharged in your building or on your premises.

Such discharges can be accidental 36

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“The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was enacted to provide firearms dealers protections from certain claims for damages and other relief arising from the misuse of firearms by others.”

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or intentional, or even be due to product defect. Strict policies requiring verification that every firearm is unloaded prior to allowing a customer to handle the firearm is a great deterrent and starting point, but don’t stop there.

Customers can bring a firearm into your store for several reasons, and you need to remain vigilant for the risks presented by the presence of these firearms as well.

You may be sued because of injuries sustained as a result of a firearm that you sold. These suits typically involve claims of negligence on your part in how the sale was conducted. Legal concepts, such as negligent entrustment or negligence per se, will be claimed against you.

The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was enacted to provide firearms dealers protections from certain claims for damages and other relief arising from the misuse of firearms by others. It does not provide absolute immunity. Savvy plaintiffs will work to ensure their allegations fall within one of the enumerated exceptions to the PLCAA. Strong policies and strict adherence to them is essential to minimizing your exposure to such risks. You need to employ best practices and robust employee training. Keep in mind that training needs to be ongoing in order to be effective. Investing resources into strict adherence to the policies will pay dividends when the ATF comes to inspect you or when you need to defend that lawsuit. Those strong policies and consistent execution will help you defend against most claims you might face and invoke the PLCAA protections.

Remember that compliance extends to all aspects of your business. Don’t overlook your loan programs when crafting your policies. We recommend having an open discussion regarding the redemption process before accepting a firearm as collateral for a loan. In particular, make sure your customer understands that a NICS “proceed” will be required before you are allowed to transfer the firearm back to them. In addition, you should have a policy, if not required by the laws of your state, that pawn tickets are not transferrable. You may elect to allow the customer some period of time, for example sixty days, after receiving a NICS “delay” or “deny” result so they may seek to resolve the issue giving rise to the negative result, but that you will require

“Remember that compliance extends to all aspects of your business.” a clear “proceed” before you can transfer the firearm back. Other options include offering to purchase the firearm from them.

These concepts are by no means exhaustive, but there are many resources available to you that can be implemented to assist you in crafting a robust training system.

Always remember, the best defense available to you is to avoid problems before they arise. An ounce of prevention, as the saying goes, applies in firearms transactions, plus, it is the law. Maintaining compliance is more than just your legal obligation; it’s good business.

Once you get in the habit of training

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your employees, updating their training, and double-checking your documentation, it becomes secondnature, and you will be well on your way to a successful and profitable firearms business.

Joe Kavan is a partner and chair of the firm’s Firearms Industry Practice Group; his office is in Omaha, NE. Michael Brown is a partner and member of the Firearms Industry Practice Group and his office is in Kansas City, MO. Kutak Rock LLP is a national law firm with over 550 professionals in 18 offices and is the only AmLaw 200 law firm with a dedicated firearms industry practice group. For more information, visit kutakrock.com.

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business solutions

Stopping Estate Jewelry Synthetics Scams

By Phyllis Schiller 38

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state dealers need to be on the lookout for lab-grown diamonds in antique jewelry.

The rise of lab-grown diamonds has had every diamond dealer on high alert over the past several years. But dealers in estate jewelry are now being warned they could also get stiffed by the unscrupulous swapping of synthetic stones, warns professional appraiser and industry consultant, Edward Lewand.

The threat of such unethical switches has been on the rise due to the rapidly growing availability of all shapes and sizes in the lab-grown market. Any attempted substitution of lab-grown stones will likely be in melee and center stones, especially in pieces from eras like the 1920s and 1930s, when diamonds were big, according to Lewand. “That’s when we might see a stone being replaced, say, in an engagement ring.”

He also cites the Art Deco period, “when larger stones were cut in shapes that transitioned between the old European and the modern cut. Once we go into the 1950s, we’re seeing modern-cut stones.

Identifying the cut of the stone is going to be important in dating the piece and hopefully identifying whether it is natural or man-made.”

The fear factor surrounding synthetic scams is also likely to increase as more sophisticated lab-grown stones come to market.

However, there are proactive measures that can be taken. “If we educate dealers now, then we don’t have to worry when the issue develops, because everyone will know what to do,” advises Lewand.

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION

So, what steps should estate jewelers take to educate and protect themselves? Better product knowledge is imperative. “Dealers should be aware of as much information as they can get on construction, style, motifs, and different colored stones used in the different periods,” says Lewand. “I think that’s number one.”

Number two is to create a provenance for the piece to show its age. “They have to get paper and information from the clients to show, for example, that the ring on offer was bought in 1995 and that therefore, the stone is natural,” he advises. “Old insurance documents, whether a piece was insured prior to 2010 or 2012, are important. If there’s a letter from a client saying the piece was owned by a relative or there are photographs of the jewelry being worn to establish, going forward, some provenance, [this] helps assure that this is really an antique piece with natural stones.

That paper trail and paperwork are going to have to stay with the stone forever.”

The front line of defense against synthetic gaining a foothold in the world of antique and estate jewelry will be the mom-and-pop shops and dealers who have indepth knowledge of the details and construction of authentic pieces.

This will help them ensure they are buying the real thing, says Lewand. “Once antique and estate jewelry dealers are comfortable with identifying the craftsmanship, styles, and settings of different periods, they will start playing an important role in the identification of any

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“Dealers should be aware of as much information as they can get on construction, style, motifs, and different colored stones used in the different periods.

I think that’s number one.”

- EDWARD LEWAND

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business solutions

substitutions of stones.”

As a case in point, Lewand recalls someone bringing him a bracelet they said was Art Deco.

“I had to explain that it was impossible to have 550 identical old-mine-cut stones in a Deco bracelet, which, moreover, was cast rather than handmade,” he recounts. “On the other hand, I spoke to a woman who had a large ruby starburst-like brooch, circa the 1940s and signed Tiffany & Co. The center stone was 3 carats.

She was able to provide a history of her mother owning the piece.

By knowing when and where this brooch came from, we could know this was a real stone.”

appraiser of fine and antique jewelry and has been retained as a business consultant for jewelry companies, galleries, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

He received a graduate gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), is a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), and is a senior accredited member in gems and jewelry at the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). He is also the director of Jewelry Camp, an international educational conference for industry professionals in the antique and vintage markets.

MAINTAINING MYSTIQUE

Antique and estate jewelry is new jewelry to the person buying it, Lewand points out. “We have to create a mystique for this jewelry and the importance of it, and provide buyers with the assurance that they’re getting a natural diamond, a mined diamond.”

He predicts that “some of the better antique and estate jewelers are going to start getting testing equipment shortly and start checking whether stones are synthetic. I think they will start looking at a piece more carefully, checking whether the stones have been replaced and asking their clients for old paperwork. It is important for the industry to have a sharpened awareness of the possible problem.”

The Rapaport Group is an international network of companies providing added value services that support the development of fair, transparent, competitive and efficient diamond and jewelry markets. Established in 1978, the Rapaport Price List is the primary source of diamond price and market information. Group activities include Rapaport Information Services, Rapaport Magazine, and Diamonds.net providing research, analysis, and news; RapNet – the world’s largest diamond trading network; Rapaport Laboratory Services provides GIA gemological services in India, Belgium, and Israel; and Rapaport Trading and Auction Services specializing in recycled diamonds and jewelry. The Group supports over 20,000 clients in 121 countries and has offices in New York, Las Vegas, Antwerp, Ramat

WHO IS EDWARD LEWAND?

Gan, Mumbai, Surat, Dubai, and Hong

Edward Lewand is a professional, independent

Kong. Additional information is available

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at Diamonds.net.

NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION

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This article is provided by Jewelry Connoisseur by Rapaport, which covers the latest jewelry trends and offers practical guides to purchasing diamonds, gemstones and jewels. To subscribe for free, scan the QR code below.

membership

Notice of NPA Annual Membership Meeting June 23, 2020

By Chad Carter, Secretary, National Pawnbrokers Association

THE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING of the National Pawnbrokers Association was scheduled to be held at Pawn Expo 2020 on Tuesday, June 23. With the cancellation of the convention, the membership meeting will be held at a later date still to be determined. We will let you know when that has been decided.

At the meeting, the membership will ratify the slate of candidates provided by the Board of Directors for the election of Directors and receive reports from the Officers and the annual report. In addition, the membership will transact any other business that is brought before it in accordance with the bylaws of the association.

The individual listed as the representative of the Pawnbroker Member with the Association shall be considered the voting delegate. An alternate delegate may be selected if the representative is unable to attend the Annual Membership Meeting. The alternate delegate must be an employee, officer, or owner of the Pawnbroker Member. An Alternate Delegate form must be submitted at least three (3) weeks in advance of the meeting. If no Alternate Delegate form is submitted and the representative of the Pawnbroker Member is not in attendance, their vote shall be forfeited. All other forms of proxy voting are prohibited. n For more information, contact Kristen Williams, NPA Executive Director, at Kristen@NationalPawnbrokers.org or (817) 337-8830.

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multi-store owner profile

Best Collateral, San Rafael, CA (above); Best Collateral, Vallejo, CA (right)

A Planted Seed Turns into Pawn Success Over half of all NPA pawnbroker members are part of a multistore operation. To get a closer look into all the decisions that are made on how, when, or if you should expand your pawn business, we are featuring a series of articles on pawnbrokers who own more than one store.

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ittle did Robert Verhoeff know when fielding a phone call back in 1987 that a seed would be planted, and that seed would eventually sprout into ownership of a chain of pawn stores.

At the time, Robert was a CPA with Coopers & Lybrand, a public accounting firm now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers. The call was from a client who owned pawn stores, and over the next 18 months, Robert learned about the business as he helped them with their books. He left Coopers & Lybrand for a two-year stint with a manufacturing company and then, when looking around for something new, a partner at Coopers & Lybrand thought he would be a good fit for Best Collateral.

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Robert joined Best Collateral in July 1993 as CFO. From 1993 to 2000, Best Collateral slowly acquired, remodeled, and consolidated stores, and in 2001, when his boss wanted to retire, Robert and his wife bought the business. Now, with Robert as President and CFO, and his wife as the CMO (“Chief Mama Officer”) in charge of HR and special projects, they own 11 stores in northern California cities, including San Francisco, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Vallejo, Sacramento, and Marysville, employing 70 people.

Deciding when and where to open a new store is always challenging. First, has an opportunity been presented? A local competitor with a staff and customer base whose owner is retiring is an obvious

acquisition opportunity. Then, they must determine if the company has the staff to successfully manage an additional store. Not all opportunities that are presented are pursued.

Initially, new store acquisitions were handled with internal cash flow.

Later, the company obtained external financing options.

As the owner of a multistore operation, Robert faces three major challenges:

1

Finding qualified employees with a solid work ethic New recruits do not have to have pawn industry experience or have jewelry skills to be hired at Best Collateral, but they do have to like helping people and they must have a positive outlook. They must want to succeed and be recognized for success in both team and individual efforts and Best Collateral’s compensation plan allows them to earn raises based on their ability to hit performance levels. Employees are largely found through Indeed or word-of-mouth. A $1000 referral bonus is also offered as an incentive to find new employees.

Headhunters and placement agencies are used for manager-level positions.

2

Creating a cohesive company culture due to the 300-mile spread between stores The company has regular meetings (monthly or bi-monthly) and has created an internal Facebook intranet so employees can post product information, or more personal information, like birthdays.

3

Running out of time each week to be able to get to each store One of the biggest decisions an owner who wants to expand will have to

Robert Verhoeff and family

deal with is when they run out of “days in the week” to visit their stores.

Being able and, more importantly, being comfortable to create a tiered organization and trust others to watch out for the interests of the owner, will be a major challenge if an owner wants to expand beyond the number of stores they can visit in a “reasonable period”. There is a level of comfort in being able to physically be in each store every week. To enable the company to manage 11 stores, Best Collateral employs a Director of Operations and two Area Managers who oversee the Store Managers and daily operations.

Best Collateral has found the most marketing success with Facebook, direct marketing to customers through email, local involvement through promotions or special events, and a customer appreciation program offering redeemable points for items like consumer electronics, furniture, toys, and even travel vouchers for airline tickets.

Some of Robert’s most memorable moments have been when he worked the counters early in his pawnbroking career. Providing solutions to his customers’ problems is something he has always enjoyed. Now, he SUMMER 2020

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finds great pleasure in observing his employee’s “aha” moments – when they have achieved something they always wanted. He hopes that those who have gone on to other careers will feel that Best Collateral has helped them in their success.

Someone thinking about expanding their pawn operation should “think about it, think about it, think about it,” says Robert. “Make sure you understand why you’re doing it. Make sure it’s to serve customers, and not that you need more stores to “be” successful. Make sure you have the human resources to pull it off. It takes time, processes, and people to get up and running as soon as possible in the way that you want – and it’s not for everybody.”

Membership in the NPA has provided Robert with both networking and educational opportunities. “Early on, it was the prime resource for my education whether with classes at Pawn Expo or informal ‘classes’ at the cocktail hour.” He enjoys hearing what others around the country are doing.

“The NPA is protecting the industry at the national level and continuing to differentiate what pawnbrokers do compared with others, such as payday lenders. They are keeping pawn out of the center of the storm.”

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membership

NPA 2020 Membership Anniversaries

Many NPA Pawnbrokers and Industry Partners have been loyal members of the association for a long time and we want to recognize them. The following members have supported the association and its mission for the past 30, 25, 20, 15, and 10 years. We thank you for your contributions to the association and the pawn industry.

30 YEARS OR MORE American Gold Mine American Pawn & Jewelry, Inc. Americash Jewelers, Inc. Beverly Loan Company, Inc. Big Rock Trading Post, Inc. Bluestone Trading Company, Inc. Bonded Loan Office, Inc. Burrell Printing Co, Inc. Carver W Reed Co, Inc. Crown Jewelers & Pawnbrokers, Inc. Dad’s Super Pawn Data Age PawnMaster Dave Adelman Deweese Gun and Pawn Trophy Shop, Inc. Fay Furniture, Inc. Fulton Loan Office, Inc. Garfield Refining Company Gold Rush Pawnbrokers, Inc. H & B Jewelry & Loan Co. Houston Precious Metals Howard’s Jewelry Center

Saint Joseph, MO Garland, TX Westmont, IL Beverly Hills, CA Fruitland, NM Cleveland, OH Columbia, SC Pflugerville, TX Philadelphia, PA Ormond Beach, FL Gulfport, MS Clearwater, FL Atlanta, GA Starkville, MS East Saint Louis, IL Atlanta, GA Philadelphia, PA Danville, IL Portland, OR Houston, TX Maple Heights, OH

Jiffy Pawn Shop Leo Marks Jewelers M & M Merchandisers, Inc Nathan’s Lynnhaven Pawn Shop Northwestern Loan Company Ohio Loan Co, Inc. Palace Jewelry & Loan Co., Inc. Palace Pawnbrokers Paradise Pawnbrokers People’s Pawn Shop, Inc. Royal Loan Silver Dollar Exchange, Inc. Suffolk Jewelers, Inc. Terry’s Pawn & Variety Shop Traders Loan & Jewelry, Inc. Uncle Ben’s Pawn Shop West Quincy Pawn Shop Westbrook’s Pawn Shop Will Jewelry and Loan Wood’s Loan Office

Vernal, UT Toledo, OH Fort Worth, TX Virginia Beach, VA Baltimore, MD Dayton, OH Reno, NV San Diego, CA Bronx, NY Columbia, SC San Diego, CA Meridian, MS Boston, MA Jackson, OH Reseda, CA Cleveland, OH Taylor, MO Laramie, WY South Charleston, WV Atlantic City, NJ

Zeidman’s Loan Office

Detroit, MI

25-29 YEARS AAA Gun & Pawn Shop Ace Music & Pawn Shop Alan’s Jewelry & Pawn, Inc. All American Pawn, Inc. All Pawn, Inc. Allan’s Jewelry & Loan, Inc. American Jewelry & Pawn, Inc. American Jewelry and Loan American Pawn Shop, Inc. Arkansas Trading & Loan, Inc. Berry’s Pawn of Madison Big B, Inc. Bill’s Pawn Shop LLC BJ Pawn & Gun Brittain’s Pawn Shop Buckeye Pawn Shop, Inc. California Pawn Shop Carson Jewelry & Loan, Inc. Cash Central Company Cash Exchange Pawnshop

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Deland, FL Elkin, NC Asheville, NC Sparks, NV Spring, TX Anderson, IN Rocky Mount, NC Detroit, MI Thomasville, GA Russellville, AR Madison, TN Springdale, AR El Dorado, AR Denham Springs, LA Shreveport, LA Columbus, OH Hanford, CA Carson City, NV Saint Louis, MO Keller, TX

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Cash Indiana, Inc. Castle Pawn Shop Checks 4 Cash Chicago Pawners & Jewelers, Inc. Chipley Gun & Pawn Clark Pawners and Jewelers, Inc. Cooper’s Coin & Pawn, Inc. Crown Pawnbrokers, Inc. Dakota Pawnbrokers Decatur Jewelry and Pawn Decker’s Jewelry and Pawn Dick’s Pawn Shop South Dixie Pawn, Inc. Don’s Pawn Shop, Inc. Downtown Pawn Shop Dynasty Jewelry & Loan Ltd E Z Pawn Easton Loan Co. Eden Jewelry & Loan Company Empire Loan

Burns Harbor, IN New Castle, IN Michigan City, IN Chicago, IL Chipley, FL Chicago, IL Fort Smith, AR Washington, DC Minot, ND Decatur, IL Columbia, SC Surfside Beach, SC Manassas, VA Dayton, OH Augusta, GA Norcross, GA Lebanon, MO Saint Louis, MO Hayward, CA Boston, MA

Goldman’s Pawn Shop

Evansville, IN

R J Cash Enterprises, Inc.

Miami Gardens, FL

Holley’s Pawn Store, Inc.

Daphne, AL

Ram Z’s Emporium

Lafayette, IN

Hudson’s Pawn & Gun, Inc.

Jasper, AL

Rhudy’s Pawn Shop, Inc.

Fayetteville, NC

Jack’s Pawn & Gun

Dalton, GA

JCI Companies

Acworth, GA

Jessup’s of New Smyrna

New Smyrna Beach, FL

Rogers Jewelry Royal City Jewellers & Loans Ltd

Quincy, MA New Westminster, BC, Canada

Kendale Pawn Shop

Sanford, NC

Royal Pawn, Inc.

Covington, KY

King’s Pawn Shop

Greeley, CO

Sam Light Loan & Mercantile Co.

Saint Louis, MO

L. Oppleman Pawnbrokers

Lynchburg, VA

Sam’s Loan & Emporium, Inc.

Akron, OH

Loan Mart

Tamuning, Guam

Shane’s - The Pawn Shop, Inc.

Chicago Heights, IL

Lee’s Pawn & Jewelry

Saint Louis, MO

Smokefoot Trade & Loan, Inc.

Morganton, NC

Lightning Pawn Enterprise

Branson, MO

South Bay Pawn, Inc.

Lawndale, CA

Lou’s of Upper Darby, Inc.

Upper Darby, PA

St Louis Jewelry & Loan

Saint Louis, MO

Maxferd Jewelry & Loan Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills, CA

Stan Tidwell

Old Hickory, TN

Mid-States Recycling & Refining

Des Plaines, IL

Sue’s Pawn Shop - Tack Shop LLC

Benton, AR

Mission Pawn

Mission, KS

Sumpter’s Jewelry & Collectables

Charlotte, NC

Mister Money of Greeley #35

Greeley, CO

Sunset Pawn, Inc.

Hutchinson, KS

Money Mizer of Columbus

Columbus, GA

Sydmor’s Jewelry Co., Inc.

Barberton, OH

Montana Sales and Loan Co.

Missoula, MT

Sylacauga Pawn Shop

Sylacauga, AL

National Jewelry & Loan

Shreveport, LA

Ted’s Pawn Shop

Norwood, OH

National Jewelry & Pawn, Inc. #1 National Pawnbrokers Outlet of Waterford, Inc. Norman’s Jewelry & Loan, Inc.

Durham, NC

The Cedar Post Pawn Shop

Saint George, UT

The PawnShop, Inc.

Chula Vista, CA

Waterford, MI Southfield, MI

The Wright Pawn & Jewelry Co., Inc.

Houston, TX

Union City Pawn & Jewelry

Union City, GA

North County Pawn Center

Jennings, MO

Union Life & Casualty Insurance

Phoenix, AZ

Numis International, Inc.

Millbrae, CA

USA Loans

Little Rock, AR

Old South Pawn

Macon, GA

Val Shell’s Pawn Shop

Waterville, ME

South Bend, IN

Village Pawn

Greenville, NC

Pacer, Ltd

Little Rock, AR

Wellston Loan and Mercantile

Saint Louis, MO

Paymaster Pawn and Jewelers, Inc.

Rockford, IL

West Gastonia Music & Loan

Gastonia, NC

Pease & Curren, Inc

Warwick, RI

Wexler Insurance Agency

Coral Gables, FL

Ozark Trading Post

20-24 YEARS AAA Jewelry & Loan Acme Pawn Advantage Pawn Alliance Loan Company American Pawn & Jewelry ATG, Inc. Austintown Pawn, Inc. Axel’s Pawn Shop Bellingham Pawnshop, Inc. Ben’s Loans, Inc. Best Deal Pawn and Gun Big Buffalo Pawn Shop LLC Bonne Terre Pawn Cartersville Pawn-N-Shop, Inc. Cash Exchange Cebuana Lhuillier City Pawn Shop Compra Venta Antonio Continental Loan & Jewelry Co., Inc. Dan’s Pawn - St Andrews David H Fell & Company, Inc Diamond Jewelers of Spartanburg

Salt Lake City, UT Jonesboro, GA Memphis, TN Alliance, OH Huntsville, AL Milwaukie, OR Youngstown, OH Spokane, WA Bellingham, WA Renton, WA Columbia, SC Delta, OH Bonne Terre, MO Cartersville, GA Clinton Township, MI Makati City, Philippines Montgomery, AL Doral, FL Vancouver, WA Panama City, FL City of Commerce, CA Spartanburg, SC

Dillon Gage Inc. of Dallas Eagle Jewelry Co., Inc. Ellis Tanner Trading Company Essex Pawn E-Z Pawn Inc Family 1st Pawn Family Pawn Florida Cash, Inc. Gardena Jewelry & Loan Gems N’ Loans Gene’s Pawn Shop, Inc. Gil’s Loans Glenn’s Jewelry and Loans Gold Star Jewelry & Pawn Gold-N-Pawn Greenbrier Pawn Greenmount Loan & Jewelry Co. Griswold’s, Inc. H & F Pawn Heather’s Pawn Loans Horizon Pawn Humboldt Pawn

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Dallas, TX San Francisco, CA Gallup, NM Baltimore, MD Port Angeles, WA Republic, MO Saint George, UT St. Augustine, FL Gardena, CA Oceanside, CA North Charleston, SC Hamilton, OH Colorado Springs, CO Jacksonville, FL Weatherford, TX Chesapeake, VA Baltimore, MD Gallup, NM Killeen, TX Guthrie, OK Gallup, NM Eureka, CA

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Indiana Loan Co.

Fort Wayne, IN

Parlets Jewelry & Loan

Banning, CA

Jerry’s Jewelry & Pawn, Inc.

Shelbyville, KY

Pawn Express Enterprises, Inc.

LaGrange, GA

Johnson Brothers’ Jewelry & Loan

Mansfield, OH

Pawn King

Arnold, MO

Keller’s Pawn, Inc.

Lake Cormorant, MS

Pawn Shop

Madison, SD

Kittitas Co. Trading Company

Ellensburg, WA

Pike County Pawn Shop, Inc.

Waverly, OH

Knightdale Pawn

Knightdale, NC

Plano Pawn Shop

Plano, TX

Larry’s Jewelry & Pawn

Florence, AL

Porter’s Pawn and Bargain Center, Inc. Mountain Home, AR

Larry’s Super Pawn, Inc.

Warren, OH

R & R Pawn

Indianapolis, IN

Lincoln Square Pawnbrokers, Inc.

New York, NY

Roath’s Pawnshop Ltd

Surrey, BC, Canada

Lincolnton Pawn Shop, Inc.

Lincolnton, NC

Rockingham Trading Post

Plaistow, NH

Lincolnway Pawn

Cheyenne, WY

Shurlington Jewelry & Pawn

Macon, GA

Loan USA, Inc.

Worcester, MA

Silver Lining Jewelry & Loan

Portland, OR

London Coin Galleries of Newport

Newport Beach, CA

Sol’s Jewelry & Loan

Omaha, NE

Magazine Pawn Shop

New Orleans, LA

Sunset Strip Pawn

Sioux Falls, SD

Mentor Financial Jewelry and Loan

Mentor, OH

Superpawn, Inc.

Laurel, MD

Meriden Pawn LLC

Meriden, CT

Swop Shop

Goldsboro, NC

Metro Pawn & Gun, Inc.

Richfield, MN

Texas Cash Pawn

Athens, TX

Mister Money Investments, Inc.

Fort Collins, CO

The Pawn Shop

Paintsville, KY

Money and More of Waterloo

Waterloo, IA

The Pawn Shop

Sulphur Springs, TX

Mountain Man Pawn

Fayetteville, AR

The Pawn Shop

Christchurch, New Zealand

Naranja Trading Post & Pawn

Naranja, FL

Town & Country Pawn Shop

Roanoke, VA

National Pawn Shop

Plantation, FL

Triangle Pawn Brokers

Beaumont, TX

New York Pawnbrokers, Inc.

Bronx, NY

Van’s Pawn Mart

Macon, GA

Newnan Plaza Shop & Pawn

Newnan, GA

Waipahu Hawaii Pawn

Waipahu, HI

Northwest Pawn & Collector Arms

Spokane Valley, WA

Wapato Pawn & Trade

Wapato, WA

Oaklawn Pawn, Inc.

Prince George, VA

Wholesale Jewelry & Loans

Huntsville, AL

P & J Pawn Shop

Dallas, TX

Wild Bill’s Jewelry & Pawn

Columbus, GA

15-19 YEARS 2-K Pawn & Gun Shop A Loan At Last AAA Precious Metals, Inc All Island Jewelry and Loan Arlington Jewelry & Loan Athens Army/Navy & Pawn Bayou Pawn & Jewelry #1 Best Pawn & Jewelry, Inc. Best Pawn Shop Big Daddy’s Pawn Shop Biloxi Pawn, Inc. Bim’s Loan, Inc. Buchwald Jewelers, Inc. Brittex Financial C&J Trades Cash In A Flash CashCo Pawnshops Charlie’s Pawn Shop, Inc. Crown Royal, Inc. Dean’s Coins & Pawning DiaTrendz Diamond Gem Lending Co. Discount Jewelry & Loan Dixie Pawn Shop, Inc. Dunlap’s Gun & Pawn El Bufalo Pawn 46

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Decatur, TX Wichita, KS Portland, OR Centereach, NY Arlington Heights, IL Athens, TX Hammond, LA Bay Saint Louis, MS Euclid, OH Little Rock, AR Biloxi, MS Detroit, MI Miami, FL San Antonio, TX Clarksburg, WV Covington, KY San Diego, CA Jackson, MS Chicago, IL Fresno, CA Los Angeles, CA Portsmouth, OH Shreveport, LA Elizabethtown, KY Hurricane, WV Laredo, TX

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Extreme Pawn EZ Jewelry & Pawn, Inc. EZ Sales & Pawn, Inc. Fastcash Pawn & Checkcashers, Inc. Gary’s Pawn & Gun Geib Refining Corp Gemological Institute of America General Refining Corp Gold and Silver Exchange Gold Mine Pawn Shop Golden Pawn Shop H Schoenberg Hallock Jewelry Pawn Haney’s Pawn Shop Insta-Cash Pawn #1 Jewelry Exchange & Loan KK’s Loan, Music & Jewelry Lake Miriam Pawn, Inc. Lynchburg Pawn, Inc. McLarens Money To Go Palak Diam Inc Paradise Pawn Shop, Inc. Parlour Pawn/Whiteacre Electronics Ltd Pawnshop Consulting Group Pawn Max, Inc.

Saint Peters, MO Warner Robins, GA Bluefield, WV Pawtucket, RI West Point, MS Warwick, RI Carlsbad, CA Hempstead, NY Parsons, KS Daphne, AL Harrison, AR Jersey City, NJ Anaheim, CA D’Iberville, MS Longview, TX Jacksonville, AR Manchester, TN Lakeland, FL Lynchburg, VA Miami, FL Maryville, TN Los Angeles, CA Melbourne, FL Moncton, NB, Canada Burleson, TX Macon, GA

Pawn Plus, Inc. Pawtucket Pawnbrokers Too, Inc. Pay Less Jewelry Perris Pawn Pine Ridge Pawn & Jewelry Pinhook Pawn & Jewelry Premier Jewellery and Loans, Inc Provident Jewelry & Loan, Inc. Provident Loan Society of NY Quick Money Rags To Riches Rapaport Group Ruby Mountain Pawn Sevier Pawn & Loan Shaw’s R & R Jewelry and Loan

Macomb, IL Fall River, MA Fort Lauderdale, FL Perris, CA Naples, FL Lafayette, LA Kelowna, BC, Canada West Palm Beach, FL New York, NY Florence, KY Hannibal, MO New York, NY Elko, NV Sevierville, TN Houston, TX

Silver Dollar Jewelry & Pawn Sunrise Pawnbrokers, Inc. Super Pawn Center The Gold Mine The Money Stop The Sportsman Trading Co. & Pawn Top Dollar Pawnbrokers Tulsa Gold & Gems, Inc. Turner’s Pawn & Tax Uncle Dan’s Pawn, Gun & Archery Uncle Tom’s Loans, Inc. United Precious Metal Refining Walt’s Pawn, Inc. Westside Loan Office

Tulsa, OK Fort Lauderdale, FL Dothan, AL Chelsea, MA Springfield, MA Winnfield, LA Oxon Hill, MD Tulsa, OK Indianola, MS Elizabethtown, KY Oceana, WV Alden, NY Ocala, FL Los Angeles, CA

Zodiac Pawn Shop

Smithfield, NC

10-14 YEARS 13th Street Jewelry and Loan Omaha, NE 51 Pawn & Gun, LLC Bogue Chitto, MS 51 Pawn Shop Atoka, TN Abbott’s Coins & Jewelry Birmingham, MI ABC Jewelry, Inc. Sterling Heights, MI Ace Buyers of Albany Albany, OR Action Loan & Jewelry Dyersburg, TN Alvarado Pawn, Inc. Alvarado, TX Amigo Pawn & Jewelry #8 Brownsville, TX Associated Buyers LLC Roseburg, OR Atish Diamond LLC New York, NY Autopawn of Daytona Daytona Beach, FL Aztec Pawn & Gold Phoenix, AZ Capital Pawn Shop, Inc. Montgomery, AL Capitol Collateral, Inc. Seattle, WA Carl’s Pawn Shop Parkersburg, WV Cash N More Pawn & Jewelry Wichita Falls, TX Center Gold Centereach, NY Clark Loan & Jewelry, Inc. Aberdeen, MD Classic Jewelry and Loan Barboursville, WV Cross Creek Pawn & Jewelry, LLC Fayetteville, NC Diamond Jewelry and Loan, Inc. Cleveland, OH Elemetal LLC Dallas, TX Garden City Exchange, Inc. Garden City, MI Gold N Connection Oakland Park, FL Gold N’ Pawn Norwalk, CA Golden Pawn London, ON, Canada Heartland Pawn and Jewelry Olathe, KS Herman’s Pawn Shop Collinsville, IL Hickory Pawn & Gun Hickory, NC Hilo Loan Shop, Inc. Hilo, HI J & K Associates, Inc. Havre De Grace, MD J and L Cash Depot White Oak, TX Jery’s Pawn Hope Mills, NC Lake Cumberland Jewelry & Pawn, Inc. Monticello, KY Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers San Diego, CA Lombard Mutual New York, NY Lowell Jewelry & Loan Lowell, MA

M & M Pawnshop Corp Houston, TX Marshall & Sterling, Inc. Poughkeepsie, NY Max Pawn Las Vegas, NV McPike Pawn Taylor, MO Midsouth PM Bellingham, WA Modell Collateral Loans #1 New York, NY Motor City Pawnbrokers Roseville, MI Mr. Pawn Boulder City Boulder City, NV Navajo Trading Co. Farmington, NM NSSF - National Shooting Sports Foundation Newtown, CT Pantbanken Sverige Stockholm, Sweden Paragon Mills Loan Co., Inc. Nashville, TN Pawn Cash Go Staten Island, NY Pawn Depot, Inc. Holyoke, MA Pawn Express of Troy, Inc. Troy, AL Pawn Express, Inc. Enterprise, AL Pawn King Seffner, FL Pawn USA & Audio Rogers, AR Permian Pawn & Jewelry Odessa, TX Picasso Pawn #1 Durham, NC Platinum Jewelry & Loan Lancaster, CA Precious Metal Refining Services Barrington, IL Pronto Pawn Fort Worth, TX Quik Pawn Texas City, TX Quintard Jewelry & Pawn Anniston, AL Ronnie’s Jewelry & Loan Waterford, MI Southern California Safe Co. Montebello, CA Sparklez, LLC Castle Shannon, PA Stallcup Group, Inc. Keller, TX Sunset Jewelry & Loan Clearwater, FL The Castle Jewelry and Pawn Pikeville, KY The Hock Shop Port Huron, MI Times Past Houston, TX Tom’s Pawn & Wholesale Jewelry Murfreesboro, TN Tom’s Pawn Central Waynesboro, GA Treasure Coast Jewelers & Music Vero Beach, FL Watch Certification Services of America West Palm Beach, FL

SUMMER 2020

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state news

State Association Updates COLORADO

Steve Adsit, Colorado State Contact stores.35@mmi-corp.com

COLORADO PAWNBROKERS: I would like to get a complete contact list of all pawnbrokers in Colorado for easy and quick communication. Please email your name, store information, and contact information to me at stores.35@mmi-corp.com.

INDIANA Ric Barr, President Indiana Pawnbrokers Association castlepawn@cinergymetro.net

FROM THE START OF THE PANDEMIC, the state of Indiana has declared pawnbrokers as essential businesses. We are open and helping our customers.

As of this writing, the Midwest Pawnbrokers Conference & Convention is still on for July 10-12 at The Weston Indianapolis. For more information go to midwestpawnconvention.org.

MISSISSIPPI Nick Fulton, President Mississippi Pawnbrokers Association nick@usapawn.com

AS I WRITE THIS, we are all still under a worldwide crisis that will definitely change the way many conduct their business in the future, including our own industry.

In communicating with other pawnbrokers across the U.S. and Canada, the outpouring of help for one another was astonishing. There were many groups teaching others how to get through this and simply advising how to survive from financial advice (including Facebook/ Instagram live auctions) to keeping team members and customers safe.

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There were debates on which government agency had the right over who was essential and who was not.

I wrote letters to our governor, attorney general, and mayors across the state of Mississippi providing them with information from the federal government calling us essential. If not for the assistance of the NPA, with the aid of Fran Bishop, many of us would have been behind the curve. Instead, we were proactive and were able to advise our members on what they should do.

Some pawnbrokers wanted to stay open while others decided to close. There was no right or wrong answer, but for those who did want to keep the doors open, we fought for them. As we move forward, we should all be thankful for the opportunities that life presents to us both in good times and bad.

I will never forget those who helped me with decisions and the ability to adapt to this crisis. Be thankful for an industry that cared enough to put company “secrets” aside and help others overcome.

NEW YORK David Kaminsky, President Collateral Loanbrokers Association of New York (CLANY) david@ezpawncorp.com

AS THE CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES to wreak havoc on our state and economy, the mayor’s office has agreed that we are an essential business and is allowing pawnbrokers to remain open.

New York City is like a ghost town; it’s a very eerie feeling. Just walking down any street is so surreal. I have never in my life experienced such helplessness here.

Businesses are way down, including our industry. My colleagues and my store are doing mostly redeems, renewals, and internet sales. All other business is not permitted, other than pawns, which is down 5090 percent.

Most people are listening to the orders to stay home. I can only pray for a real solution that will bring back business, which will never really be the same after this.

Stay safe everyone.

NORTH CAROLINA Bob Moulton North Carolina Pawnbrokers Association moultonbob@yahoo.com

THE NORTH CAROLINA Pawnbrokers Association has been very busy fighting to make sure that pawnbrokers were allowed to remain open as an essential business. The larger counties in our state started issuing “stay at home” orders. Some specifically listed pawnbrokers as a financial institution and others did not. The NC Pawnbrokers Association sent letters to the counties that did not specifically list pawnbrokers and were successful in getting two counties to re-write their orders listing pawnbrokers as essential.

We were also successful in getting written confirmation from two other counties that pawnbrokers were, in fact, essential. Prior to any state-wide action by the North Carolina Governor concerning COVID-19 closures, the NC Pawnbrokers Association sent a letter to the Governor’s Office with evidence supporting that pawnbrokers were financial institutions and should be allowed to remain open as an essential business. It was interesting to note that when the Governor’s orders were released, “Pawnbrokers” were listed as the very first nonbank financial institution. We remain vigilant as the Governor’s orders state that municipalities may pass orders that are stricter than the state-wide ones.

Oregon pawnbrokers are grateful for our lobbyists and know that because they were protecting our interests, Governor Kate Brown aligned with the federal mandate that pawn shops be deemed essential.

As long as we could abide by the governor’s strict standards to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we could remain open for business. That looked different for pawn shops across the state: some shops, due to size, had to keep their door locked and let in one customer at a time, others were able to enforce social distancing, and still others were open for loans only, and closed their showrooms to sales. We had to find ways to be innovative and still serve our customers.

We are only in mid-April as I am writing this, but I am hopeful that by the time this magazine is published, we will be able to return to some semblance of normalcy. While this has been, and continues to be, difficult and ever-changing, many have found it to be a great way to highlight why pawn shops and pawn associations, both at the state and national levels, are vital.

Legal Help?

OREGON

Beth Anundi, President Oregon Pawnbroker Association capitalpawn1@gmail.com

WITH THE ONSET OF COVID-19, Oregon pawn shops have seen many changes in the way we do business. On March 8, Oregon’s governor, Kate Brown, declared a state of emergency in Oregon which ushered in the unprecedented and immediate descent of our strong economy. Though this is a unique time in our history, our lobbyists’ passion for the industry and distinct ability to help others understand our rights has remained steadfast.

UNLIMITED

Law Firm Business Access From $39/mo legalshield.com/info/npba Sheryl Powers, agent • SherylAPowers@gmail.com

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pawnder this

Everyone’s an Expert

By Rudy Klancnik

Everyone’s an expert at something.

Jerry Jones is an expert at making money, which I realized this past weekend when his stadium charged me $50 to park and $9 for a beer to watch the rodeo inside his Death Star.

NFL quarterback Philip Rivers has eight kids, so my assumption is that he’s an expert on changing diapers.

Tom Brady is an expert on marrying super models and winning Super Bowls. Nice work, TB12!

If I ever needed an expert opinion on opening a pawn business, I would think most anyone on the previous 50 or so pages of this magazine would be an excellent resource.

That brings me to my expertise – the business of sports. Sure, anyone who has ever called into a sports radio show, purchased NFL Sunday Ticket, or shot a free throw probably thinks they know a ton about sports. But I’ve spent more than 30 years working in sports – high school sports, college sports, and professional sports. I might not know how to change my spark plugs, decorate a bridal cake, or solve global warming, but I definitely know sports.

Sports have never been more popular, more important, or more controversial. They are a ratings machine, which means they’re an ATM, thanks to network rights fees and advertising rates. No other form of entertainment – not movies, not TV shows, not music, not even the Kardashians – rivals sports. Of the 50 top-rated shows in 2019, all but three were NFL football games, including the number-one-rated show which, of course, is the Super Bowl.

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How important are sports today? Without live games, the four old-school networks would cease to exist. Where are our favorite sports leagues headed over the next decade? Here’s one man’s expert opinion: THE NFL

The gold standard of sports leagues has worked through many of its recent controversies – concussions and kneeling during the national anthem being the biggest – and continues to lap the field. A ratings juggernaut, the NFL won’t slow down anytime soon. In the next few years look for Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, or Google to make a huge push for rights. Fox built a TV network on the NFL and Homer Simpson. These tech giants have plenty of cash and aspirations to become even more important.

Then there’s sports betting. When Joe Six-Pack can bet from his couch on every pass play, every first down, and every field goal attempt, there’s no stopping this runaway freight train.

Word of Warning: The NFL has always treated its players like dirt, other than a few quarterbacks, and eventually, that will catch up with them. And the concussion issue isn’t going away. Moms and dads enticing their 8th grader with swimming or soccer, instead of football, could be a threat down the road.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

This Astros garbage-can-banging PR disaster is yet another example of a league in desperate need of leadership. MLB’s best player, Mike Trout, could

membership

walk into most living rooms and no one would recognize him.

The second best player on the Clippers – Paul George – is more recognizable and even has his own popular shoe. That’s a serious problem.

Another issue that isn’t solving itself is the fact that big market teams treat small market teams like little brothers. In other words, they pin them down and make them give them their allowance. Parity has worked brilliantly for the NFL, but MLB isn’t even close to having competitive balance. And this just in, baseball is freaking boring and it takes like 14 hours to play a nine-inning game these days. In a world that is driving, watching the latest Netflix show while texting, and drinking a sweet iced tea from Chick-Fil-A, baseball just doesn’t seem to be keeping pace with the times.

Word of Warning: See above. Baseball is in dire straits and I believe in the next decade that it will be less popular than the NBA, college football, and most South Korean boy bands.

NPA New Members FEBRUARY 2020 – APRIL 2020 PAWNBROKERS A Yankee Peddler & Pawn • New Britain, CT American Gold Mine • Saint Joseph, MO American Traders - Pawn King • Merrillville, IN Baker Guns & Gold Pawn Inc • Macclenny, FL

THE NBA

Buy Sell Trade • Sacramento, CA

A players’ league through and through, the NBA is the league most primed to dominate the future. Amazing connectivity by its superstars, which is actually encouraged by its leadership, makes the NBA easy to root for. I love what the NBA represents now and into the future.

Word of Warning: Team loyalty is being replaced by player loyalty with fans. In other words, my son loves Lebron, which means his closet has Cavs, Heat, and Lakers gear. He cheers for the dude, not the team. That’s a potential problem down the road and one the NBA needs to fix. Steph Curry might just be the last guy to stick with the same team for longer than 10 years.

Central Florida Pawn • Orange City, FL Collateral Lenders LLC • Jackson, MS Colorvision Rent to Own and Pawn • Opelika, AL Elite Pawn & Jewelry Inc • Conyers, GA Elizabeth City Pawn and Jewelry, Inc • Elizabeth City, NC Estates Consignment • Pleasant Hill, CA Gold Broker Pawn • Bonita Springs, FL Mr Cash Pawn • Brunswick, GA

NHL, NASCAR, MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

My Lender Laurie • Naples, FL

I bundled these three because two of them have become more niche in the last decade while the third, MLS, has blossomed as a player on the scene. Still, all three will remain niche sports in the future.

Word of Warning: MLS must continue to focus on small stadium builds and passionate markets. The quality of soccer just isn’t good enough to think their future would rival the Premier League.

Pawn Experts • Loveland, CO Pawn Express • Wheaton, MD Platinum Pawn & Jewelry • Victoria, TX Poplar Jewelry & Loan • Dundalk, MD Richie’s Pawn • Tamarac, FL Roc Pawn Brokers LLC • Rochester, NY Route 66 Pawn & Gun • Mesa, AZ

E-SPORTS

Tom’s Pawn • Clute, TX

Hate it. Overrated popularity. Just like the X Games. Quit talking about it. Ok, ok, you now understand my opinion of the so-called e-sports explosion. The only people telling me how popular this is becoming own a team. The only people buying ads are doing so because they want to impress their bosses who “think” e-sports is the place to be. It’s not.

Word of Warning: Watch for many of these teams and companies to start losing investors when everyone starts to notice that e-sports is impossible to like watching on TV. SUMMER 2020

Trader Jim’s Pawn Shop LLC • Arlington, TX Valley Pawn • Staunton, VA

INDUSTRY PARTNERS DRC Techno • Woodbury, MN PawnTrain • Indian Trail, NC Solitaire NY Inc • New York, NY

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calendar of events

index of advertisers

JULY 2020

Bluestone Trading

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July 10-12, 2020

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The Westin Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN

Bravo Pawn Systems

Contact Greg Engstrom:

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Bravopawnsystems.com

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7

(303) 373-1300 Pawnbrokerfinancing.com Pawnshop Consulting Group

Midwestpawnconvention.org Data Age Business Systems/

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PawnMaster Inside Front Cover, 16

Pawnshopconsultinggroup.com

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(888) 949-7296 Rapaport Auctions

Pawnmaster.com

SEPTEMBER 2020

5

(212) 354-9800

DIXIE PAWNBROKER

Electronic Transfer

CONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW

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September 7-9, 2020

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Rapaportauctions.com Stuller, Inc

Perdido Beach Resort |

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(800) 877-7777

Orange Beach, FL

Flex Payment Solutions

Contact Nick Fulton:

(636) 533-0140

nickfulton@comcast.net

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Stuller.com United Precious Metal Refining, Inc.

Dixieconvention.com Garrett Metal Detector

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(800) 527-4011

12

(800) 999-FINE (3463) Unitedpmr.com

Garrett.com Wexler Insurance

OCTOBER 2020

Geib Refining Corporation

CAPA FALL CONVENTION

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October 2-4, 2020

Geibrefining.com

Wexlerinsurance.com

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Agency

Inside Back Cover

Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa | Rancho Mirage, CA

Jewelers Mutual Insurance

Contact Kim Andosca:

(800) 558-6411

14

(212) 221-5985

kandosca@amgroup.us

Jewelersmutual.com

Yehuda.com

Yehuda 20-21

Californiapawnbrokers.org LegalShield 49 Mid-States Recycling & Refining 32 (847) 298-0010 Midstatesrecycling.com

The NPA does not specifically endorse any entity including but not limited to exhibitors and advertisers; makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees; and assumes no responsibility for the products or services provided by these entities. The NPA expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising from the use or the performance of the products or services provided by these entities.

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