Three paintings by legendary artists hang on a wall in an auction house overlooking St. John’s Harbor. The first is David Blackwood, the next is a piece by the recently deceased Christopher Pratt, and the third is a work by Don Wright.
Art lovers and potential buyers linger on each one as they pass, but this is the piece hanging on the next wall that they really stop to stare at: a giant store sign that says “Fitz’s Cold Beer” with the main letters.
The sign and the story behind it are attracting record traffic to the auction house’s website, says the auction house’s owner.
“The beer sign has 10 times more clicks than any other piece in this sale,” said Wayne Bartlett, owner of the Bartlett auction house.
“We had a retro Harley Davidson that was world-renowned. We had pieces by David Blackwood that reached almost $ 200,000 in return. Nothing comes close to the number of people who just went to the site to see this sign. “
The man, the beer, the legend
Fitz was a legend at the western end of St. John’s. His real name was John Fitzpatrick, and he ran a store on Topsail Road for more than 40 years. He started working in what was called Brewer’s Retail before taking over and changing the name to Fitz’s Cold Beer in the 1970s.
“People said they would come in sad, or they didn’t feel well, or they were even depressed, and they left with a smile every time,” said Angie Fitzpatrick, his daughter. “It was a gathering place for so many people. They came in, listened to his jokes, talked about the hockey game or whatever else was going on. They were always laughing.”
John’s wife, Christine, said regular customers would come from places as far away as Torbay, passing countless beer shops on their way to Topsale Road to buy beer from her husband.
Fitz Cold Beer has been a staple on Topsail Road in St. John’s for more than 40 years. After owner John Fitzpatrick died in 2021, the business was closed and the sign fell. (Fitz Cold Beer / Facebook)
After 46 years in business, John Fitzpatrick died of cancer on May 26, 2021. He was 66 years old. His family made the difficult decision to close the store, saying it simply would not be the same without him.
Shortly afterwards, the sign had to come down from the building. Angie wanted to do something special with him to honor her father and his loyal customers.
“We took it down and decided to put it up for auction and give all the proceeds to treat cancer,” she said.
Expect a rush at the last minute
Wayne Bartlett took the opportunity to host the auction house’s Unreserved Estate Art and Collectibles caption. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since.
“We have had more calls on this issue than anything else, and everyone has a story,” he said. “It goes beyond just another sign of another long journey. It was a place you had to go to experience. It was a fun place to visit. The service was one thing, the laughter was quite another.”
Ebony. Prat. And Wright. And a sign for beer. Guess which one has attracted the most interest so far at Bartlett’s? The sale ends tonight at 8:30 p.m. All proceeds from Fitz’s cold beer sign go to cancer treatment. pic.twitter.com/4YHNqO5nfS
– @ ryancookeNL
The highest bid was about $ 1,500 on Monday morning. Bartlett expects last-minute excitement to raise the price before the auction ends at 8:30 p.m.
Whoever ends up with the winning bid – whether a philanthropist or a former client – they go home with more than just a sign.
“They’re definitely getting an iconic piece from St. John’s,” Angie said. – They get all these memories.
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