Rick Harrison

Rick Harrison – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Dive into the life of Rick Harrison, American businessman and reality TV icon from Pawn Stars. Discover his early struggles, rise in the pawn business, philosophies, memorable quotes, and lessons from a life built on deals.

Introduction

Richard Kevin “Rick” Harrison (born March 22, 1965) is an American entrepreneur, television personality, and co-owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. He rose to fame through the hit History Channel show Pawn Stars, where his keen eye for deals, sharp negotiation skills, and personality have made him a household name. His journey from modest beginnings to reality TV stardom is a story of grit, business instincts, and a profound appreciation for history and value.

Early Life and Family

Rick Harrison was born in Lexington, North Carolina to Richard Benjamin Harrison and Joanne Rhue Harrison. San Diego, California due to his father’s naval assignment.

Rick was diagnosed with epileptic seizures at about eight years old, which required periods of bed rest and limited activity. During these times, he developed a deep love of reading, often immersing himself in books to pass the time.

He is one of the siblings in the Harrison family; his brother Chris and sister Sherry (who died young) are among them.

Youth, Education & Early Work

Rick did not complete a traditional high school education in the conventional way. In his youth, he began working in his father’s secondhand store. His early involvement in the resale business—handling items, buying, selling, appraising—laid the foundations for his later pawn shop success.

By his teens, he was active in repo work and other ventures, supplementing his hands-on experience in commerce.

Career and Achievements

Founding the Pawn Shop

Rick’s business trajectory pivots around the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. The Harrison family operated secondhand and coin shops before formally entering the pawn business.

Due to a Las Vegas ordinance limiting new pawn licenses tied to population thresholds, Rick monitored demographic growth carefully. Once the city population reached the required level, he and his father secured a license and officially launched the pawn shop in 1989 at 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South, just off the Strip.

By 2005, the shop was loaning out approximately USD 3 million annually, generating notable interest income.

The shop distinguished itself by dealing not only in jewelry or common pawn items, but also in higher-end collectibles, artifacts, and historical items with compelling provenance.

Television Fame & Pawn Stars

Rick spent years pitching a television concept centered around a pawn shop. After his shop appeared in the show Insomniac with Dave Attell (2003), the idea gained traction, but his proposals were often rejected.

In 2008, producers from Leftfield Pictures developed a format focusing on a family-run pawn business, and Pawn Stars debuted in 2009.

The show features Rick, his father Richard “The Old Man” Harrison, Rick’s son Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison, and longtime employee Austin “Chumlee” Russell.

The show became one of History’s top-rated programs, and it dramatically increased the visibility and foot traffic for the pawn shop.

Rick also published an autobiography License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver, which appeared on The New York Times Bestseller list.

Business Extensions & Other Ventures

Over time, Rick has branched into related businesses. For example, he opened Rick’s Rollin’ Smoke BBQ & Tavern in the plaza around his pawn shop, occasionally bartending there himself.

He has also been involved in real estate and ancillary ventures linked to his brand and shop.

Personal & Family Challenges

Rick’s life has also included personal hardships. One of his sons, Adam Harrison, tragically died in January 2024 from a fentanyl overdose at age 39.

Rick has spoken publicly about the grief, reflecting on “second-guessing everything” and emphasizing the importance of cherishing family and time.

He has been married multiple times. With his first wife, Kim, he had sons Corey and Adam. With later wife Tracy, he has another son, Jake.

Rick has described himself as a “complete geek,” with deep interests in history, artifact provenance, and collecting.

Historical Milestones & Context

• Rick Harrison’s pawn shop gained new meaning with the rise of reality TV in the late 2000s. He capitalized on the convergence of niche collectible markets and audience appetite for behind-the-scenes business dynamics.

• Pawn Stars helped popularize public interest in antiques, appraisals, and the backstories behind everyday objects.

• Harrison’s approach—treating each item as a story or puzzle rather than mere merchandise—resonated with an audience beyond typical pawn customers.

• His shift from operating in relative obscurity to a public figure underscores how niche businesses can scale via media if the narrative is compelling.

Legacy and Influence

Rick Harrison has redefined what a pawn shop can represent: not just a place of last resort for loans, but a hub of history, negotiation, storytelling, and entertainment.

Many people, especially younger generations, now associate the idea of pawn shops with discovery, documentary drama, and artifact hunting—largely owing to Pawn Stars.

Through his public persona, Rick has also become a voice in business circles about valuing knowledge, understanding provenance, and merging commerce with passion.

Personality and Talents

Rick is known for being sharp, talkative, inquisitive, and grounded. His strengths include:

• Appraisal acumen — he can often detect hidden value or uniqueness in items

• Negotiation & deal-making — he challenges sellers, seeks margin, yet often balances fairness

• Curiosity & learning mindset — he studies histories, manuscripts, objects deeply

• Showmanship — he understands storytelling and performance in taking everyday transactions and amplifying them for television

At the same time, Rick’s relationships and family dynamics (working with father and son) introduce complexity, blending personal and business life in high visibility.

Famous Quotes of Rick Harrison

Here are a few of his more memorable lines:

“I’m Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop. I work here with my old man and my son, Big Hoss. Everything in here has a story and a price. One thing I’ve learned after 21 years — you never know what is gonna come through that door.”

“The weird thing about the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is that people come on vacation, and they bring stuff here to sell. They come here to see what we’ll give them for it. Mostly, it’s people from out of town.”

“The best part of my business is working with my family, and the worst part of my business is working with my family.”

“I’m one of those guys who believes in next to zero government. They just screw everything up.”

“I believe that capitalism is the one thing in this world that’s brought people out of poverty.”

These quotes reveal his views on business, family, government, and the chaos and possibility in everyday commerce.

Lessons from Rick Harrison

From Rick’s journey, we can extract several lessons:

• Every item has potential value — the story and provenance matter as much as the material

• Know when to walk away — not every deal is worth closing; strong negotiators sense when to fold

• Be curious, not just transactional — deep knowledge gives advantage in evaluation

• Blend family and business carefully — working with loved ones carries both rewards and risk

• Turn platform into scale — transforming a local pawn shop into a media brand widened appeal

• Resilience amid adversity — personal tragedy, public scrutiny, and business pressures can coexist; perseverance matters

Conclusion

Rick Harrison’s life is much more than Pawn Stars narration lines. He’s someone who converted early challenges into curiosity, built a pawn shop that treats objects like puzzles, and turned that into a television and cultural phenomenon.

His emphasis on stories hidden in plain sight, his balance of heart and commerce, and his resilience through personal loss make his story enduringly human. Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, negotiation, or the hidden histories within everyday items, Rick Harrison’s journey illustrates how business and narrative can fold into one compelling legacy.