Local family run business suffers heartbreaking fire

By Professor “LMC” Lisa Marie Coppoletta | Columnist

You may know Travis Kilpatrick from his volunteer work here in Hays and Comal County. You may have had a conversation with Kilpatrick when you were looking to save a bit of money when picking out a new piece of equipment or selecting some jewelry for your sweetheart. Or, you may have met him when you were in a financial bind and needed to make a quick loan to pay your power bill. Regardless of how you met Kilpatrick and his family, including wife Dianne, or daughter Delayne Leonard, the family is made up of memorable, friendly faces that drive a fair deal with a handshake, a smile, and encouraging words.

Saturday, September 18, 2021, at 4:22 a.m. Kilpatrick, the owner of Cashbox Pawn located on Aquarena Springs Drive, received a call that would change his life. The San Marcos Police Department called to tell him Cashbox Pawn was on fire. The cause of the fire is still being investigated by local authorities. 

When Leonard arrived on the scene at 5 a.m., her cousin Gary, brother Colten, and Aunt Missy, all San Marcos residents, were already there.

At approximately 5:30 a.m., the fire was extinguished. Leonard had been in constant contact on the phone via FaceTime and knew Kilpatrick was on the first flight home.

“It was still dark,” said Leonard. “He could only see spots when I turned the camera back on myself. His words were, ‘our beautiful store’ with a face of pain.”

The Cash Box Pawn store on Thorpe Lane opened in 2000. After a few successful years, they wanted to construct a building of their own. Dianne Kilpatrick, Travis’ wife, built the store having been a home builder, she served as the contractor.

“We painted the walls, and we stained the concrete,” said Leonard. “We love that building we opened there in August of 2005.”

If you walked in many times, he’d have a broom or ran into him picking up trash in the parking lot.

“I’ve heard it thousands of times,” says Kilpatric. “Yes, I am Travis the owner and the janitor.”

Kilpatrick has never been above a day of hard work. It shows in this situation now.

Travis has been a constant watchdog, not only in San Marcos but Hays and Comal Counties. He has donated to the Hays County and Comal County Women’s Shelter, the Hays County FFA, currently serves as Ducks Unlimited Chairman. Kilpatrick has not only donated but invested over a hundred hours of community service to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and as Assistant Scoutmaster, he has received several mentor awards for Eagle Scout service projects.

“My Dad told me early on, ‘some people who walk through this door are having the worst day of their lives, you should always be aware of that possibility,'” said Leonard. “Then I see those same people weeks or months down the road, in a better position. When times get tough like this, I can only think of the resilience of people I’ve seen walk through our door.”

“From a sales aspect, there is nothing we enjoy more from selling a kid his first guitar, helping pick out jewelry for an occasion,” stated Kilpatrick

Cashbox Pawn does not have a reopen date yet. According to Kilpatrick, all items that customers had are fully insured, “we’re devastated for any loss that may occur.”

“The building is my last priority,” said Kilpatrick. “My customers and their belongings are my first. The sales floor and retail area will take some time to reopen. We need to satisfy our obligations to pawn customers first. The fire was contained to certain areas, but yes, there will be items we will have to replace. We just need some time to sort through it all. It’s all insured.”