John “The Captain” Kut. Screengrab
John "The Captain" Kut was a staple in Vancouver in the 1990s, running his eponymous The Captain's Bargain Store. It was a pawnshop which bought and sold used goods.
Advertised primarily on late night television, his commercials were quirky and memorable. He always signed them off with "Aye aye and good buy!"
He drove around town in an AMC Eagle with a massive, homemade sail installed on the top of it, and was never seen not wearing a captain's hat.
In the late 1990s the Captain used his commercial time to not only promote his store but also a healthy lifestyle. Looking vigorous in one of the spots, he stated that “15 years ago I was a chain smoking, obese alcoholic on welfare”, that religion helped him find his way, and that he had lost 150 pounds.
John shut his store down not too long after that (today a Brown's Social House operates at the address) and had been rumoured to be living in the USA until recently, when he popped up in Burnaby. True to his entrepreneurial spirit, The Captain can now be found selling goods on Craigslist, and there's the odd spotting of him in East Van.
We've released a t-shirt design in honour of this great piece of Vancouver's history. Available in black or white HERE.
The Captain’s Bargain Shop T-shirt Available at BCisAwesome.com
We're donating $1 from every one of these shirts we sell, to the Kingsgate Mall Tree of Giving initiative that helps needy kids. This is not an official collaboration with The Captain (we've been trying to get ahold of him for years), however he was always generous and helped out his community. We hope to do the same with a portion of the proceeds.
Captain
