Data Age Business Systems, developer of PawnMaster, the industry leading pawn management software for over thirty years, is proud to welcome The Castle to PawnMaster Nation, an 11-store operation based in Kentucky and branching into southern Ohio. The Castle is primarily a retail jewelry store that supplements its revenue with collateral loans, which allows the business to guarantee the lowest prices on fine jewelry.
The Castle is a family owned business run by Barrett Block, company president at age 25. Their first store was opened in 1988 by Barrett’s father in Lexington, Kentucky, and for the next 32 years, The Castle continued to operate using the same software and point of sale system. Despite having satisfactory features, Block found system maintenance and opening new stores to be an increasing challenge.
“As we were looking to open more and more stores, there was this practical impossibility of sourcing the hardware we needed for our future locations,” said Block. “Beyond that, the system was unreliable. After 32 years, the needs and speed of our business was increasing in such a way that we really needed to go with a top of the line outfit like PawnMaster.”
For a multistore corporation like The Castle who had grown used to an antiquated system, the switch to a cutting-edge solution like PawnMaster was a little scary; “We were afraid that high tech would mean high maintenance,” Block admitted, “but it’s just the opposite. It’s like a huge burden has been lifted off of everyone’s shoulders. We’re really happy with the system so far.”
Barrett highlighted Data Age CEO Len Summa as the only real choice in the pawnshop software industry, and also passed on a big “Thank you” to Data Age employees Dominic and Luis, whom he described as hardworking, and “really boots on the ground”.
At The Castle, Block is already experiencing greater visibility due to the recent conversion to PawnMaster. He can now see the whole picture of current inventory across all 11 of his stores, and is able to determine where certain pieces should go. “It’s an incredibly efficient operation and it has allowed us to scale the amount of business that we do. We’re now ordering in greater quantities, selling in greater amounts… it’s just a tremendous benefit.”
The Castle has most recently moved into the firearms market, and Block plans to continue to expand their eCommerce capabilities at TheCastleArms.com (coming soon) and TheCastleJewelry.com.
Barrett Block isn’t the only one excited by The Castle’s future success—the team at PawnMaster is ecstatic as well. “The Castle is a well-known family operated business that has been a staple in their communities for years,” said Len Summa. “Barrett and his family are taking their business to the next level with hard work and innovation. We are very happy to partner with them and look forward to contributing to their ongoing success.”
