While Gold & Silver Pawn, the business at the center of History Channel's hit "Pawn Stars," is now as much of a tourist stop as it is a business (apparently, an average of 4,000 people pass through the store each day now, which recently entailed a brief closure for a facelift to deal with wear and tear), the associated firms that have gained notoriety to the degree of having their own spinoff shows are still mainly in the business of business, so to speak.
For those not in-the-know, Danny "The Count" Koker is the proprietor of "Count's Kustoms", a passionate restorer of classic American cars and bikes, who's among the specialist consultants in Las Vegas that were introduced to the wider public via guest appearances on "Pawn Star" and from there bagged their own spinoff shows, in Koker's case "Counting Cars." A colorful character, for sure, he's also the owner of a tattoo studio and a rock bar here in town, both originally acquired in partnership with erratic rocker Vince Neil.
Like Koker, Rick Dale is fanatical about restoring things, but his trade is antiques and vintage items, from slot machines to fire hydrants, juke boxes to suits of armour, bicycles to refrigerators. Like The Count, he has a colorful crew who are sometimes called upon by "Pawn Stars'" Rick Harris to "fix his crap" and who all co-star in "American Restoration," the reality series also on History.
While we haven't visited either establishment, our general understanding and impression from catching the shows a few times, is that both Count's Kustoms and Rick's Restorations have friendly staff and will likely show you around if you arrive during business hours (although some areas may be restricted due to ongoing filming requirements), but we wouldn't encourage a lot of time-wasters to show up when the owners are still running commercial enterprises -- and busy ones at that, thanks in no small part to all the TV exposure.
That said, there is (as far as we know, it's ongoing) a "Pawn Stars Tour" that you can book via various online operators, which takes you behind the scenes at Gold & Silver, Count's Kustoms, and Toy Shack, among other places. We don't know if the tours are any good, and the price tag is pretty steep at around $80 -- if anyone out there has any feedback, we'd be intrigued to know.
Also, the proprietors and key players at both Count's and Rick's are frequently taking part in events, so there are numerous opportunities to meet the principals. As a case in point, on Saturday, Jan. 25, Rick's Restorations (1112 South Commerce St.) is celebrating the new season with some kind of open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and everyone (and their cars and bikes) are welcome. See the Facebook page for details of this and other events and appearances. Similarly, check out Count's Kustoms website for their event schedule. The business is located at 2714 S. Highland Drive and is open daily; Rick's is closed on Sundays. We recommending following both on Facebook and/or Twitter, too, for updates about what's going on.
