PHOTOS BY JOYCE , GREENSBURG
Ashley and Brian Nicklaus
When the unthinkable happened and Ashley ’ s husband passed unexpectedly in 2013 , she was faced with the decision of whether to sell the pawn shop that her husband had started , The Pawn & Jewelry Exchange , or to keep the business and try to make a success of it on her own .
“ I was really more of a stay-at-home mom , and the girls were very young — just 3 and 4 years old ,” explains Ashley . Her educational background was not exactly geared toward business . “ My husband was the sole proprietor of the business , and I had an Art History degree from Seton Hill University .” Selling the business might have seemed the easiest thing to do in this situation , but instead Ashley made a bold choice to take it on herself .
“ For me it was an easy decision to keep the business ,” she recalls . “ I wanted to show my girls that when you ’ re facing a tragedy , you can still be strong and that you can continue on .” She also knew the business had potential and would provide an excellent means of support for herself and her children . She began to ask a few close friends who were successful in their own businesses for advice and guidance .
“ I definitely learned from the school of hard knocks — it was a huge learning curve trying to appraise the value of things . It takes many years of being immersed in that world to determine the value of items ,” Ashley explains . The importance of this part of the business could not be overstated . Years ago , a couple had brought in a 12-inch chalice that had been used in a church for communion . Their son was keeping model race cars in it . When the metals were tested out , it turned out to be made of solid 14K gold and was worth around $ 30,000 !
To help with this side of the business , Ashley brought in employees with expertise in the areas she was lacking , and they were able to capitalize on each other ’ s strong suits as a team .
Plus , shortly before her husband died , he had hired a jeweler , Brian Nicklaus . Brian was an extremely talented fine jewelry artist , who could make anything from a photo as well as create his own unique designs .“ It really helped to have a jeweler on staff who could size rings , or redesign jewelry ,” Ashley adds . “ It helped to connect the two sides of the business .”
Eventually , Brian became Ashley ’ s husband , and is now her business partner . They ’ ve also added another daughter to their family , and they make a great team — both in business and in life .
Ashley now has certification as a gemologist , which required 24 months of study , and she recently became a certified member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers . When business took a hit during the pandemic , an employee suggested that she host a Facebook Live event to connect with customers . This really helped to sustain their business , and it was so successful that she continues it today .
During the pandemic , one the hardest things for the shop was seeing customers who had lost their jobs and were panicking . They would bring in items for resell , and many times the items had no real value . Ashley soon realized that if she bought everything that came her way , she wouldn ’ t be able to stay in business and would be of no help to anyone .
She feels she ’ s come a long way since 2013 : “ I ’ ve learned a lot about myself and what I ’ m capable of . There ’ s always going to be some type of obstacle . But I wanted to show the girls that you ’ re able to make it through no matter what .” n
GREENSBURG SALEM ❘ SPRING 2022 11