From guitars to bazookas, All Pawn offers it all

The popularity of reality television shows such as "Pawn Stars," "Hardcore Pawn" and "Pawn Queens" are attracting attention to the pawn industry, the National Pawn Brokers Association recently reported.

For the staff at All Pawn in Spring, such shows have proved profitable conversation starters. Customers are consistently asking when the store is going to have its own reality show, said owner Marty Patison.

"More people are curious," said Marty Patison, who opened the store at its location along I-45 North in 1993. "Business definitely picked up."

All Pawn was formerly Jewelry Designers, a business operated by the Patison family since the mid-1980s. Pawn shops throughout the country reported an increase in loans over the past two years, according to data released from the NPA.

The collateral loan service is certainly a factor in All Pawn's sales, said store manager Michael Pilkenton.

Customers offer their items as collateral in exchange for short-term loans. If customers do not make a monthly payment after a two month grace period, then All Pawn can sell the item. Many customers also use All Pawn as storage spaces for high-end valuables, such as Rolex watches, guns, and guitars.

At All Pawn, guitar sales usually make up about 33 percent of the businesses, said Bryan Patison, Marty Patison's son. The musically inclined can find a vast assortment of guitars, ranging from $49 for children's guitars to a $40,000 Fender Esquire. The store has more than 300 acoustic, electric and bass guitars.

But, he added, the store's goods depend on the season. During the fall months, for example, instrument sales comprise about 50 percent of the shop's sales. The holidays and events like Valentine's Day boost jewelry sales, Bryan Patinson said.

A section of the store is devoted to firearms and includes muskets, handguns and relics from World War II. A $7,000 Winchester rifle from 1876 often draws attention, Bryan Patison said.

Pilkenton said he enjoys the store's diverse clientele.

"We've met people from the richest to the poor," he said. "We get people who need $100 to pay a light bill, and people who want to trade in their Rolex to go gamble in Louisiana."

All Pawn offers very distinctive selections that typically are not available in many of the more common area stores, the staff said.

"If you want value and quality for your money, this is the best place to shop,"said Marty Patison. "We are the 'Pawn Stars' of The Woodlands." said Marty Patison.

Unusual items at All Pawn

• Sterling Silver Bikini ($853)
• 17th Century Bronze Cannon ($15,000)
• A three-knife set replica of the machetes used in the movie, "Predator" (at left, $6,000)
• Renoit Waterlilies Painting ($14,000)
• Pendergraff Cello ($7,000)
• Vietnam Era Bazooka, ($400)

All Pawn, 25907 I-45 N., Spring, 281-363-2110, www.allpawn.com