Cash Dome pawnshop on US1 and Caribbean Boulevard is about to show America all about tattoos, guns, gold teeth, and how to make a buck.
For the past 25 years, shop founder Mickey Gallander has wheeled and dealed Miami through one of the oldest and toughest businesses in the world.
Now his sons Whiteboy and Josh are taking over, with TruTV there to document and broadcast it all. We caught up with Whiteboy about the new show, which premieres this Tuesday, August 13. Here's what he has to say about Cutler Ridge, a co-sign from Pitbull, and a dog named Kush.
New Times: Wassup man, how's it goin'?
Whiteboy: Great, man, I'm just leaving Circle House now, I was cutting some voice-overs there with Abebe. I just got in the car. I can't wait to get home, roll a blunt, get on my bike, and run my dog. I'm still that same nigga from years ago.
What kind of dog do you have?
I have this American Bulldog named Kush. Everyday I ride the bike and he runs with me. He's the baddest American Bulldog you'll ever see.
Is he gonna be on the show?
He does get in there a little, somewhat.
Awesome. So go ahead and tell us about the Cash Dome.
First and foremost, we ultimately respect the other pawn stores with shows in Las Vegas, Detroit, North Carolina, and New Orleans...nothing but utmost respect, they really helped viewers understand the business somewhat. Basically, my father has been a pawn broker over 25 years, and Cash Dome has been family owned and operated ever since. I was bred for this.
We wanted to create our own niche and let Miami and Florida show and stand up with our own pawn shop show. It's the only real, true to life docu-series you're gonna see, and we're proud to be on TruTV.
What's the difference to the other shows?
People don't get into screaming arguments with a security guard. It doesn't happen. We show what really happens. There's no civil war coins, there's no 1912 pickup truck. We show what really gets bought and sold: Electronics and tools.
The fat guys in Vegas ... I respect and love 'em, but the overweight bald guy ain't doin' what I do.
That old slickback white man in Detroit with the gold chain and the leather jacket, lookin' like he from the '80s -- he ain't doin' what I do.
That show in North Carolina, that show in New Orleans, they ain't doin' what I do.
I'm 31 years old, from Miami. My brother, he know every delinquent down here, and every trick in the book and this 'bout to be it. I'm not gonna let you down. You gonna love to cosign this show. You gonna watch it and you gonna be a believer. That's the difference.
What's the dynamic of the show?
I been running the shop for the last eight years. My father is 74, I think TruTV says he's 75. He's not getting any younger. Now that I learned everything from him, I'm startin' to take over, but my brother's been incarcerated for a very long time and was recently released from jail, and I'm trying to keep this a family business, so we're gonna see if he can handle it. There's a difference between loyalty and business. You can teach anybody to be a pawnbroker, but you can't teach someone to be loyal.
What was he locked up for?
Well, it's public record, his name is Joshua Roth, look it up on the Miami-Dade clerk website.
(Editor's note: We did. In 2013, Roth was charged with possession of cannabis; since 1997, he's also faced charges of marijuana and cocaine possession, burglary, aggravated assault with a weapon, and battery, grand theft auto, and driving without a license among others.)
The show lets you know he's an ex-convict and been to to prison and has cemented-in gold teeth in his mouth and tattoos and he speaks and acts in a certain way. He was not at summer camp. He was in prison.
You might not like Whiteboy, or his brother, or his dad, but you're gonna love the fact that we're so Miami and we're repping so hard. We are Miami born and raised and so many people here know the Cash Dome landmark itself, and we're bringing real production value.
This is the only show on national TV to really represent pawn shops in Miami. We got the whole Miami behind us supporting and cosigning the whole movement. We just had Pitbull with his 13 million followers tweet about an hour ago to make sure to tune into Whiteboy's show.
We're not the typical pawn shop. We're not the typical Jewish family. When's the last time you saw three Jews look like us? This is a one of a kind business. So blessed to have TruTV as a network.
Is Trick Daddy gonna be on the show?
Trick Daddy is the reason I am where I am. He introduced me to 51 Minds Entertainment, who I've been signed to for the last eight years, and I signed my contract with them because of him. He introduced me to the creators [of the show], which is what let me cross over my nickname of Whiteboy from the streets to Hollywood.
Trick Daddy told them "This is the only white person that can call me nigga. Not nigger -- nigga....the only whitey that can call me that. After that, they said they had to meet me, and he introduced me to them, and ever since I've been signed. He wasn't able to be part of season one, but there's a time and a place for everything.
Cash Dome know so many people. Trick Daddy; Pitbull; the original Edgerrin James. God bless the dead; the Shawn Taylors. We get love from the athlete side to the Hollywood side. We have a different angle approach.
Talk some about your dad.
My dad is Mickey Gallander. I call him Machine Gun Mick. All the gangsters come in, sometimes they call him Mick, sometimes Mitch, sometimes they call him Machine Gun Mick.
What are you going to show America about the streets of Cutler Ridge?
What happens when we take it out the Cash Dome. We got wild shit happening every day outside the doors. We take it to new levels. We shoot in the streets of Miami. We touch the street on Miracle Mile, in Coconut Grove, in Cutler Ridge, in South Miami. We shoot scenes in Florida City, South Beach. We take it to all the different diverse cultures and areas of Miami. There's no place we won't go, the ghettos of Ali Baba, the concrete jungles of Opa-locka, to the mansions of Boca Raton.
If Duck Dynasty and Deal Or No Deal can bring millions of viewers; if the fuckin' stupid ass Jersey Shore can do it; you can better believe the Cash Dome is gonna bring in millions of viewers.
Hell yeah. Any shout outs?
I just got my blue check on Twitter. And we got our own clothing line on cashdomepawn.com.
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