Porter’s, more than a pawn broker
The search for a wedding band for my fiancée recently had me receiving innumerable Facebook ads touting rings of all sorts from who knows where. Yeah, our phones are listening!
Weary of the social media advertising blitz, my bride-to-be and I decided to look at what was out there locally at retail, a trek which eventually found us at Porter’s Pawn in Mountain Home. . . and wow, did we end up at the right place!
Besides finding her dream wedding set at a bargain price, I was surprised to find out much more about this locally owned business which has served the community in its existing location since 1995.
Owner Shane Porter, a native of Norfork, is no stranger to the pawn brokerage business world having cut his teeth working with Cash America, a global leader in operating pawn stores with over 2,000 locations across the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Working mostly in one of the company’s largest Oklahoma locations during his time with Cash America, Porter learned every aspect of the business to the point where he felt comfortable coming back to his home area and starting a pawn brokerage of his own.
The store itself is a clean, well lit, compartmentalized shop whose services are available in situations where someone might have an unexpected need for a quick loan such as a costly vehicle repair or medical expenses and who are then able to borrow money short-term on a pawned item or items.
Loans on pawned items are for a 30 day period with an additional 30 day grace period in which to repay their loan and retrieve their item or items. One can renew the loan if more time is needed by paying a service fee to roll over the debt.
Texts are sent to clients advising when their loan is due. “With inflation and the prices we have these days, everybody’s feeling a cash crunch and needs help here and there,” commented Shane.
In some cases, customers come in wishing not to pawn, but to sell their item or items outright, which then adds to the on-hand inventory for sale at the shop.
He went on to say that jewelry is one of the best values available at Porter’s, offering both pre-owned and new items with an ever-changing inventory. Given my purchase, a claim to which I can certainly testify.
Porter’s jewelry operation is further enhanced by having a well trained gemologist on site, who just happens to also be Shane’s lovely wife, Jacqueline, able to assesses gemstones for quality, grade, color and cut to help determine a fair value.
Along with Jacqueline, Shane advised that he also had, “the Rolls Royce of jewelers”, T.J. Persenaire, as a member of the Porter’s team. He may be familiar to many as he has served the local community for 40+ years as a jeweler and watchmaker of renown.
Porter’s, equipped with the jewelry team as described, offers Rolls Royce, quick turnaround, express jewelry repair service. T.J. also refurbishes pre-owned jewelry obtained by the shop to such a fine degree that it looks like new again. This in-house capability enables Porter’s to offer quality jewelry items at half the cost of new items at retail.
Porter’s also operates a second location in Harrison on W. Commercial near where Hwy 62 meets Hwy 65. Similar to the Mountain Home location, the Harrison facility occupies approximately 8000 sq. ft., 3200 of which is retail space.
As far as other items available for purchase at Porters, they include such things as electronics, firearms, musical instruments and sound equipment, tools, sporting goods, video games, cameras, lawn care equipment and the list goes on. Of course, Porter’s inventory is constantly changing as sales are made and new items are acquired.
Porter’s also has a large online presence selling firearms through one of the world’s largest Gunwerks dealers out of Cody, Wyoming, as well as being a Seekins dealer offering high-end optics and firearms including HK, Nighthawk and many more. Ammunition is also a constant part of Porter’s on-site inventory available for in-store purchase.
Another cool service offered by Porter’s is to assist in estate liquidation. For example, someone inherits a gun collection however isn’t comfortable selling them on their own, Porter’s will assist and work to sell the firearms online for them.
So, what’s on the horizon for Porter’s? Well, Shane shared that they working on development of specialized software for pawn brokers as well as possessing a patent on AI technology as it relates to the pawn industry. “It’s the first software ever written by pawn brokers for pawn brokers,” mentioned Shane.
If you’ve not yet visited Porter’s, their Mountain Home store is located at 625 East 9th Street, where they’ve been for 40 years. One may also check the business out on their Facebook page. Or better yet, drop by the shop, check out what Porter’s has to offer and say hi to Shane, Jacqueline and the entire customer service team. Operating hours are Monday thru Friday 9:00 – 5:30 and Saturday from 9:00 – 3:00, and can be reached by phone at 870-424-7296.
