About Us
Established in 1992, Decatur Jewelry & Pawn is one of Illinois’ leading pawn stores. We are located in Decatur, Illinois, and in 2007, we expanded to a second location in Mt. Zion, Illinois. Our two stores offer full-service jewelry & loan services. Our pawn department has the most professional, well-respected and knowledgeable staff in the pawn industry.
Our customers travel from over 200 miles to do business with us because of our integrity, honesty, price and excellent customer service. We are dedicated to providing the community with an honest, professional service at an affordable price.
LOAN (PAWN) SERVICES
At Decatur Jewelry & Pawn we are not only a jewelry store. We function as a bank offering cash loans from $10 to $50,000. Bring your valuables in and we will give them a safe storage place and some extra cash in your pocket. Please visit our Loans page for further information.
JEWELRY & APPRAISAL SERVICES
Decatur Jewelry & Pawn is a full-service jewelry facility. Our specialized services include expert jewelry repair and custom-designed jewelry to meet your specific needs. Do you have a family heirloom that you would like re-designed to a more modern piece of jewelry, but want to keep the sentimental value of your keepsake? This is our specialty. We can also special order just about any jewelry item available. If we don’t have it, we can order it, usually overnight. Perry Lewin, Decatur Jewelry & Pawn owner, is an expert jewelry appraiser with over three decades of experience supplying customers with their jewelry needs.
LOOSE DIAMONDS, GEMSTONES AND ROLEX WATCHES
Decatur Jewelry & Pawn has a vast world-wide network of trading partners that allow us to, usually overnight, secure fine-grade loose diamonds and gemstones from a ¼ carat to over 5 carats. Decatur Jewelry & Pawn prides itself on gemstone education and market timings to bring you the very best in gems. We also buy, sell and trade Rolex watches. Our vast trading partners enable us to locate and secure just about any Rolex wristwatch you wish to own. Our pre-owned Rolex watches are warranted for a full year and are usually thousands of dollars less than you would expect to pay at those high-priced retail establishments.
MEET OUR TEAM
KELLY LEWIN
Kelly Lewin is co-owner and vice president of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn. Kelly joined our team in 2006 and has gained considerable knowledge and industry insight into the pawn & jewelry business. As co-owner, Kelly is actively involved in management, planning and implementation of the company’s policies & procedures. She actively communicates with the company’s general manager, Jenny Hettinger. Together most of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn’s direction is born between these two top-level managers and administrators.
Kelly is a native Decatur-ite. She has resided in Decatur her whole life except for a short time to complete her undergraduate collegiate degree at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and masters degree at the University Of Illinois. Kelly’s organizational and administrative skills have enabled Decatur Jewelry & Pawn to expand to a second location in Mt. Zion. In addition, her foresight has helped the company open new markets and attract a wider audience of customers.
PERRY LEWIN
Perry Lewin is the owner and co-founder of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn. Established in 1993, Decatur Jewelry & Pawn has been an industry leader in the collateral loan business. A third-generation jeweler, Perry has brought his world-renowned jewelry experience and merged his jewelry knowledge with the pawn industry to offer customers quick cash loans on their family heirlooms, offering the highest amounts loaned in the Central Illinois area. In addition, Perry’s vast jewelry knowledge has enabled Decatur Jewelry & Pawn to grow into one of the area’s largest and most respected retail jewelry stores in the area, offering in-stock jewelry, expert jewelry repairs, custom jewelry design, loose diamonds & gemstones, special orders and more.
JENNY HETTINGER
WORK FACTS
Our General Manager, Jenny Hettinger, began her career with Decatur Jewelry & Pawn in September, 2005. She has been responsible for a tremendous amount of our company’s growth. Jenny is hardworking, motivated and knowledgeable in all aspects of the pawn industry and specifically, our business.
FUN FACTS
- Jenny is a “Tom Boy” who loves guns and is a “Girly-Girl” who appreciates the sparkle of diamonds and gemstones.
- Her favorite part of her work day is never knowing what or who will come through the door on any given day.
- Christmas, by far, is Jenny’s favorite holiday. She loves to drive her teammates and family “crazy” with her holiday cheer.
- Regardless of weather conditions, at dinner time, Jenny will outside grilling. Her family and especially her “fur-babies” always count on her to grill come rains, sleet, snow or sunshine.
- Jenny stays very busy between both stores. You never know which store she’ll surprise you at, popping in unexpectedly.
GERRI HARRES
Gerri Harres, an area local, joined Decatur Jewelry & Pawn in 2009. Gerri came to us with over 13 years of jewelry making skills. She learned her jewelry trade working her way up at a local, expanding jewelry business. Upon their closing, Gerri took some much needed time off before seeking out employment at Decatur Jewelry & Pawn. Gerri was cross-trained in all operations of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn, but our focus was on unleashing Gerri’s awesome jewelry talents. Soon, she flew to Baton Rouge, LA. for an intensive training session on Laser Jewelry Repair, the latest technology in the jewelry industry, revolutionizing the art of jewelry repair.
Gerri has been instrumental in the growth of Decatur Jewelry & Pawn’s jewelry repair department. Our jewelry repair department has quickly become one of Decatur’s best jewelry repair destinations. Within 2 years, our jewelry repair has grown so quickly, we were lucky enough to hire another full-time “bench jeweler.” The term “bench jeweler,” is a phrase used in the industry to describe the “jeweler” who actually does the physical work on your piece of jewelry. They cut the ring to size it up or down. They solder a mount on a ring with a torch, melting gold in the process. A “bench jeweler” sets your diamonds, sizes your rings, repairs your broken chains, removes diamonds & gemstones and re-sets them into more beautiful, wearable items. Our new jeweler, Chris Marshall, is mentioned in the next Team Member Post. Be sure to read her bio. She is everything Gerri is and she loves the motto: “I May Not Be Perfect, But At Least I’m Not Fake!” Chris has been an awesome addition to Decatur Jewelry & Pawn’s jewelry repair department.
DARBI HUGHES
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Darbi always manages to make people laugh, no matter what their mood is.
- She has “fought like a beast” to overcome breast cancer.
- Her #1 priority is her two “beautiful daughters.”
- Darbi is a priceless part of our team & she can get results in either of our two stores.
- She is feisty and funny and we love having her on our “Team.”
KAREN BEHEN
WORK FACTS
Karen joined our team in December, 2013. Since then, she has been a very hard working pawnbroker for us. She spends most of her time in our “hard goods” pawn department, specializing in evaluating incoming merchandise for personal loans or purchase. Karen never stops working, keeping her other team members on task. She is a great asset to our team and we’re blessed to have her in our company.
FUN FACTS
- Karen’s hobbies include camping, kayaking, fishing, spending time with her grandchildren and planning next year’s Halloween party.
- She is a huge Denver Broncos, Yankees and Cubs fan.
- Karen gets bored with idle time and always finds something to do to keep her mind and body busy.
- Her best attribute is her sense of humor. She has a great smile and is funny — sometimes.
LANA NIEMEYER
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Perry Lewin took her shooting for her first time shortly after starting her employment, and she loves it and shot fantastic.
- She loves dogs, especially “Sammy,” the shop’s fixture around here.
- Lana wears a 14k gold banana pendant to reflect her nickname, “Lana Banana.”
- She has learned to love the smell of gun powder.
- Her favorite part of working here is that she learns something new every day.
RICK DREW
WORK FACTS
Rick is the lead firearm department salesman. Rick joined our team in February 2010. He is a priceless asset to our company. He provides amazing knowledge and excellent service to our customers. Frankly, Rick knows more about firearms than most people have forgotten. He is our department’s manager and is in charge of purchasing, pawning and retail. He can usually be found in the gunsmith room, tinkering with and repairing our many treasures.
FUN FACTS
- Rick started learning about firearms when he was only eight years old and he knew more about guns at the age of 15 than most adults knew.
- He started collecting firearms and accessories at age 15.
- Rick is a proud grandfather of three beautiful grandchildren, with more on the way.
- His hobbies include riding his Harley, deer and duck hunting, and fishing.
- Rick is an amazing cook—according to him.
DEBBIE HUBBARD
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Debbie is “The Crazy Cat Lady.”
- Gardening, enjoying the outdoors, going to wineries, spending time with family and hanging out with her grandson are just a few of the many things Debbie enjoys on her off time.
- She is meticulous in her attention to detail.
- As young as she looks, you wouldn’t know that she has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.
GARRETT FINCH
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Garrett is our “Long-Haired Metal-Head.”
- He looks like a young version of Getty Lee from the Canadian rock band RUSH.”
- He loves to tell jokes and make our customers and his teammates laugh.
- His hobbies include gaming, hanging out at the gun range and working on his truck.
- Garrett loves the challenge of the never ending evolution of electronics.
GEOFF PEOPLES
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Geoff spends his free time chasing balls. He is an award-winning soccer coach and mediocre golfer.
- He is married to his high school sweetheart.
- Geoff is very witty and has an amazing sense of humor.
- He routinely jokes among the other team members and usually outwits the others.
ELIZABETH LONG
WORK FACTS
FUN FACTS
- Enjoys coming to work and sharing her positive attitude with her other team members.
- Liz is a “Mrs. Fix It” and will gladly get things to work (somehow).
- She thoroughly enjoys the outdoors and recently added kayaking to her adventures.
- She craves knowledge in order to mentor others.
