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Kipperman's Pawn Shop On Bellfort Ave.


sevfiv

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not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop. does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

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not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop.  does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

Ted Kipperman had a photography studio in Houston back in the '50s. I had a portrait done there as did most of my friends from San Jacinto High School. Later I read that he became a licensed minister & also opened the pawn shop. Guess he just finally retired.

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  • 1 month later...

more kitschy history, from a June 14, 1987 article from the Houston Chronicle :D

"Kipperman does an ecumenical service. He's married everyone from Buddhists to bikers. The Buddhist couple were no doubt surprised when Kipperman referred to Hare Krishna in the ceremony. He says he tries to be creative."

"On-the-spot rings are one advantage to marrying at Kipperman's chapel. He has thoughtfully commissioned a one-size-fits-all wedding gown for the bride - her choice of pink or white. A roccoco plastic wedding cake with a miniature plastic champagne fountain bubbling beside it can be used for Polaroid poses."

"Two years ago he constructed a wedding chapel inside his southeast Houston pawnshop that has attracted couples from as far away as San Antonio. In front of an oversized mural of Niagara Falls and beneath a white wrought-iron heart bedecked with doves and orange blossoms, they exchange vows that link them eternally."

the chapel is still there, but deriorated...

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i have more somewhere - of the chapel and more of the signs...when i find em i'll post those too...

kipperman's was such a different place...i heard about it for the first time when i worked at the orange show, so i had to check it out. i'm not a fan of pawn shops, but this place, with the chapel and all, was so...out there.

they also had a really nice notary public, and mentioned he would be glad to perform same-sex weddings if need be. :)

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  • 4 months later...
just for nostalgia's sake:

weddingsm.jpg

Free wedding??? I read an article last week that I found hard to believe. It said that the average cost of a wedding is $25,000. That ridiculous! If it was true then it would be even more absurd because more than half of marriages end in divorce. I sure wouldn't flush 25 grand down a toilet, would you?

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  • 5 months later...
I just spotted this obituary in the Chronicle this morning, and thought of this thread. I assume it's the same Ted Kipperman.

Also stumbled upon this page containing a transcript and a RealAudio file of an All Things Considered segment from 1993 on Kipperman's Pawnshop.

man :(

thanks for posting the links!

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not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop. does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

Is this like one of those drive thru wedding places in Las Vegas, Nevada?

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Is this like one of those drive thru wedding places in Las Vegas, Nevada?

it was...sort of. you could walk in, buy a ring, gun, lawnmower, guitar, get something notarized, then walk over to the outdoor gazebo and get married :D

there was also an older limousine there - maybe he drove the newlyweds down the road - to the blue top perhaps?!

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  • 1 year later...
Free wedding??? I read an article last week that I found hard to believe. It said that the average cost of a wedding is $25,000. That ridiculous! If it was true then it would be even more absurd because more than half of marriages end in divorce. I sure wouldn't flush 25 grand down a toilet, would you?
Here's a photo circa 1918. It's an Italian wedding from my dad's side of the family. I wonder if it was held in a place like Kipperman's?
more kitschy history, from a June 14, 1987 article from the Houston Chronicle :D the chapel is still there, but deriorated...
Here's a bigger photo:

post-3393-1190648646.jpg

post-3393-1190648877.jpg

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My best friends sister got married there around 1995. They got the buy a ring get a free wedding deal. And No, the marriage did not last.

That sounds like one of those instances where a couple got married at a drive-thru marriage place like Kipperman's, then later went to get a divorce in the Dominican Republic.

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  • 3 months later...
My best friends sister got married there around 1995. They got the buy a ring get a free wedding deal. And No, the marriage did not last.

Since there are places like Kipperman's where two people could stop in and get married, I wonder if there are any places that offer "drive-thru divorces?"

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not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop. does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

Why can't most people simply get married at a place like this? Just make it legal. Over half of all marriages end in divorce. That's bad after spending a big amount of money on a big wedding.

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  • 3 weeks later...
not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop. does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

On page A7 in today's Houston Chronicle there's an article entitled "Unholy hustle for matrimony." It tells about Las Vegas, Nevada calling itself "the Wedding Capital of the World"...[with] more that 60 chapels..."

Handbillers seek out couples to get married in their chapel, each working in 12-hour shifts. "Accusations have flown: slashed tires, death threats, homeless men paid to hassle competitors."

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  • The title was changed to Kipperman's Pawn Shop On Bellfort
  • The title was changed to Kipperman's Pawn Shop On Bellfort Ave.

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