‘Pawn Stars’ Rick Harrison Says Shop Still Gets 1,500 Visitors Daily Despite Tourism Slowdown

Rick Harrison, owner of the World Famous Gold and Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, star of the reality TV show Pawn Stars, said he was worried about what might happen to international tourism and his business if it does decline. Harrison opened the shop and pawn business 37 years ago, right before he started to see a sea of change in tourism over the last several decades. Harrison noted that tourism has stabilized from Latin America and Europe, and although he and his brothers have seen a small decline in tourism from China, Japan, and the Philippines.

“Asian tourism is really, really down, you know, because usually it's a big part of my business... China and Japan, the Philippines, those numbers are really down… but Latin America is really, really strong. Europe, strong… Did some meet and greets earlier today. Had a bunch of people from Spain. I had some people from Poland. I had some people from the Czech Republic… a little bit less customers than last year, but I'm still getting good customers... still getting big crowds. We're probably averaging around, right around 1,500 people a day right now,” Harrison reported.

Despite this downturn, Harrison reported that his shop continues to draw around 1,500 visitors each day. He pointed out that even though the customer count has fallen a little relative to last year, the quality of customers and crowd size are still good. His business, which employs 80 people, has adapted to market trends by offering products like Pokémon cards to meet changing customer demands.

Harrison discussed broader issues impacting Las Vegas tourism, including rising costs on the Strip. He believes these extra charges contribute to visitor frustration and discourage repeat tourism.

“I was on the Strip the other night. Me and my fiancé had two drinks, and it was like $57… It's supposed to be like $139 a night and then you show up and it's, you know… $40 a night or $50 a night resort fee and then you have the parking fee and this fee and everything, it turns into $300 a night and that pisses people off,” Harrison explained.

“It's the most resilient town in in the in this country and I think everything is going to be fine… We still get millions of people every month, you know. The entertainment in Las Vegas can't be beat anywhere in the in the world, not just the United States, in the world,” Harrison asserted.