It's a Family Business, but Who Really Owns the Pawn Shop on 'Pawn Stars'?

As part of one of the longstanding gems of the History channel, the cast of Pawn Stars has spent the last 12 years educating millions of viewers about the truly wild and rare items that come into their Las Vegas shop. The Harrison family (Rick, Corey, and formerly the late Richard "Old Man"), joined by their close friend Austin "Chumlee" Russell, have become household names, and the pawn shop itself is now a tourist attraction.

So, who exactly owns the world-famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop from Pawn Stars? Keep reading for a complete breakdown of its ownership and history.

As of the time of writing, the current owner of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas is Rick Harrison. Aside from his work at the pawn shop, Rick also operates a restaurant called Rick’s Rollin Smoke BBQ and Tavern.

The pawn shop was founded in 1989 by Rick and his late father, Richard Benjamin "The Old Man" Harrison. A 20-year U.S. Navy veteran with an interest in automobiles, The Old Man devoted all of his time and energy to the pawn shop (which often dealt in rare and exotic automobiles) once it opened. He reportedly dedicated so much time and energy to the shop when he was alive that he hadn't taken a sick day from 1994 up until his passing in June of 2018.

Upon The Old Man's passing, Rick assumed ownership of the shop and began preparing his own son, Corey Harrison, to take over the business eventually. Having worked at the shop since he was only nine years old, Corey currently operates as the manager of day-to-day operations, directing roughly 30 of its employees and handling the vast majority of big-ticket buys that come through the doors.

There was some tension between Corey and his father in Season 6, however, as the younger Harrison demanded a bigger and more official stake in the overall business. He stated the ultimatum that, if he was not given 10% of the business, he would leave the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop and pursue other ventures. Ultimately, he and Rick settled on the agreement of a 5% stake in the business with the prospect of more to come as time went on.

The final member of the Pawn Stars crew is Chumlee, and though he isn't an official member of the Harrison family, he might as well be. He was given a job at the pawn shop at 21 years old thanks to his close friendship with Corey, and he quickly assumed an integral role on the team. With expertise in obscure topics such as pinball machines, rare sneakers, and toy cars, Chumlee has proven himself useful many times on the show.

Catch new episodes of Pawn Stars Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on History.