Monte de Piedad

What Monte de Piedad does

Monte de Piedad is a privately held, for-profit pawn shop and jewelry retailer headquartered in San Diego, California, founded in 1980 by Don Francisco. The company operates 13 physical branches across San Diego County, including the metropolitan core, South Bay (Chula Vista, National City, San Ysidro), and North County (Escondido), with bilingual English/Spanish service targeted at the region's predominantly Hispanic community. All branches operate Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and headcount sits in the 101-250 range. The company has no disclosed proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, no public API, and no mobile app; its digital footprint is limited to a bilingual website and a basic e-commerce jewelry storefront.

The business operates three interconnected revenue streams: (1) pawn loans — secured short-term loans using jewelry, watches, and designer accessories as collateral, with loan amounts calculated as a percentage of appraised value and no credit checks required; (2) gold and precious-metals purchasing from walk-in customers, with the company claiming to pay 10% more than competitors and offering an MDP Worry-Free Guarantee; and (3) jewelry retail, selling unredeemed pledged items plus selected new pieces online and in-branch at advertised discounts of 50-70% off retail. Pricing for pawn loans is not publicly disclosed and is set per-transaction at the branch based on collateral appraisal; jewelry retail prices are publicly listed; layaway is offered on certain higher-value items (15% deposit). No external funding rounds, parent company, or institutional ownership has been disclosed; the company appears to be family-founded and organically grown over more than 45 years.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the 13-branch retail storefronts, supplemented by the online jewelry store and the company website for top-of-funnel awareness. Customer segments are undifferentiated individual consumers across three use cases: people needing fast cash against collateral, sellers of gold and unwanted jewelry, and buyers of discounted jewelry. Marketing relies on word-of-mouth, community reputation, bilingual website content, Google reviews (356+ reviews, "Excellent"), customer testimonials, and a community-focused foundation mission. The company has no disclosed strategic partnerships, no M&A activity, no regulatory actions, and no patents or trademarks.

Name

Monte de Piedad

Legal name

Monte de Piedad

Website

https://montedepiedad.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Monte de Piedad is a privately held San Diego pawn shop and jewelry retailer operating 13 bilingual branches that provide collateral-backed pawn loans, gold-buying services, and discounted jewelry retail to individual consumers across San Diego County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pawn Shop Services

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310), Jewelry Retailers (45831)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141), Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Pawn Loans (Pawnbrokers) (FSAKALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pawn & Collateral-based Jewelry Retail (CRAKAGAL), Luxury Pawn & Collateral Lending (Watches/Jewelry) (CRAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Pawn loan services
• Collateral lending
• Gold buying services
• Jewelry retail
• Precious metals purchasing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Pawn Loan Interest & Fees: Customers pledge jewelry and valuables as collateral in exchange for cash loans. The loan is calculated as a percentage of the item's assessed value. Repayment with interest redeems the pledged item; failure to repay results in forfeiture of the collateral. This is the core revenue stream.
2. Jewelry Retail Sales: Pawned items not redeemed by customers are sold through the company's online jewelry store. Jewelry is sold at significant discounts (up to 50-70% off retail) including rings, bracelets, earrings, chains, watches, and pendants.
3. Gold & Precious Metals Purchasing: Monte de Piedad buys gold and precious metals from customers, paying competitive rates (claims to pay 10% more than competitors) and reselling or refining them.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Monte de Piedad operates as a pawn shop and jewelry retailer providing three interconnected services: secured pawn loans using jewelry and valuables as collateral for fast cash, purchasing gold and precious metals from customers at competitive rates, and reselling verified jewelry (chains, rings, bracelets, pendants) at significant discounts through 13 physical branches across San Diego and an online jewelry store.

Product overview

Monte de Piedad operates as a pawn shop and jewelry retailer with 13 locations across San Diego, California. The company offers three interconnected core services: pawn loans (secured loans using jewelry as collateral), gold buying (purchasing gold items from customers), and a jewelry retail store. The pawn loan service enables customers to obtain fast cash by pledging jewelry, watches, or designer accessories without credit checks. Gold buying provides customers the ability to sell their gold for immediate payment. The jewelry store sells verified pre-owned and new jewelry items including chains, rings, bracelets, earrings, and pendants at discounts of up to 50-70% off retail prices. Additionally, the Monte de Piedad Foundation provides community support and financial education programs. The company was founded in 1980 and maintains bilingual (Spanish and English) service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pawn Loans Secured loans using jewelry, watches, and designer accessories as collateral, providing fast cash without credit checks, documentation, or impact on credit score. Loan value is a percentage of the pledged item's appraised value, and items can be redeemed upon repayment.
• Gold Buying Purchase of gold items and precious metals from customers, with the company claiming to pay 10% more than competitors. Includes the MDP Worry-Free Guarantee on transactions.
• Jewelry Store Retail sale of verified pre-owned and new jewelry items including chains, rings, bracelets, earrings, and pendants at discounts of 50-70% off retail value. Available both online and across all 13 branch locations.
• Cadena de Oro Sólido 14 Kilates (14K Solid Gold Chain) 14-karat solid gold chain weighing 28.6 grams, available for purchase with layaway option requiring 15% deposit.
• Pulsera Trenzada (14K Twisted Bracelet) 14-karat twisted design bracelet weighing 10.6 grams, 6mm wide, retail price $1,131.99 with 50% discount.
• Pulsera Perlas (14K Pearl Ball Bracelet) 14-karat tricolor pearl ball bracelet, 7.25 inches long, 7.1 grams, 3mm wide, retail $828.99 with 50% discount.
• Pulsera Flecha (14K Arrow Bracelet) 14-karat yellow gold arrow bracelet, 7.25 inches long, 16.5 grams, 7mm wide, retail $1,760.99 with 50% discount.
• Colgante de Rosa Corazón (Heart Rose Pendant) 14-karat yellow gold heart rose pendant, 1 inch long, 3.7 grams, retail $308.99 with 50% discount.
• Colgante Encantador (Charming Pendant) 14-karat yellow gold charming pendant, 0.5 inch long, 2 grams, retail $233.99 with 50% discount.
• Colgante Papa (Pope Pendant) 14-karat yellow gold Pope pendant, 1 inch long, 3.7 grams, retail $373.99 with 50% discount.
• Cadena Figaro (10K Figaro Chain) 10-karat yellow gold Figaro chain, 20 inches long, 8.8 grams, 3mm wide, retail $733.99 with 50% discount.
• Cadena de Cuerda (Rope Chain) 14-karat yellow gold rope chain design, 20 inches long, 9.7 grams, 3mm wide, retail $1,131.99 with 50% discount.
• Anillo Flores (Flower Design Ring) 14-karat yellow gold flower design ring, 4.3 grams, 2mm wide, size 8, retail $501.99 with 50% discount.
• Anillo de Concha (Shell Design Ring) 14-karat yellow gold shell design ring, 3.6 grams, 2mm wide, size 6.5, retail $619.99 with 50% discount.
• Anillo Corazón (Heart-Shaped Ring) 14-karat yellow gold heart-shaped ring, 3.2 grams, 4mm wide, size 6.5, retail $373.99 with 50% discount.
• Anillo (14K Gold Ring with Flower Design) 14-karat yellow gold ring with flower design, 3.2 grams, 4mm wide, retail $373.99 with 50% discount.
• Set Dos Brazaletes (Two-Bracelet Set) Set of two 14-karat yellow gold bracelets, 19.7 grams, 2.5 inches diameter, 5mm wide.
• Dos Brazaletes (Two-Bracelet Set, 11.5g) Set of two 14-karat yellow gold bracelets, 11.5 grams, 2.5 inches diameter, 4mm wide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customers can receive cash in under 20 minutes for pawn loans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• H&S Pawnbrokers & Jewelers: Multi-store pawn and jewelry operator in the Western US. Comparable format — pawn loans plus fine jewelry retail — but operating in a different geography.
• Pawn America: Mid-size regional pawn chain in the Upper Midwest running larger-format stores with strong retail jewelry floors. Comparable pawn-plus-jewelry-retail mix; geographically distinct from MDP.

Broad incumbents

• FirstCash Holdings: Public US/Latin America pawn and consumer lender with thousands of stores. Closest large-scale comparable to MDP's pawn-plus-retail model, with deeper retail (jewelry) integration through recent acquisitions.
• EZCORP: Largest publicly traded US pawn operator (EZMoney, Cash Pawn brands). Comparable as a multi-region pawn and gold-buying chain; broader scale and more geographies than the San Diego-only anchor.
• Cash America / NetCredit (parent: FirstCash legacy): Historic US pawn and consumer-credit brand, now part of FirstCash. Comparable pawn-broking and consumer-credit product set with broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Gold Max / Cash for Gold (regional buyers): Direct competitive set in the gold-buying stream. Many of these are mail-in or single-store buyers competing on payout rates and convenience — directly relevant to MDP's gold-buying line.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• Facebookfacebook.com/montedepiedadsd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Monte de Piedad