They call him The Liquidator, and on Saturday, Canada’s own answer to tough-talking reality stars, like Gordon Ramsay and Simon Cowell, was in town to talk about spotting great deals and providing services at the right price – with of course, a few f-bombs thrown in for good measure.
Jeff Schwarz, owner of British Columbia-based Direct Liquidation and star of the Canadian reality show The Liquidator spent the day at Sunflower Tienda, bringing along his gruff, shoot-from-the-hip talk and penchant for salty language (54 curses in one episode was his record, in case anyone was wondering).
“This is our second anniversary (of the store). I’ve been buying from Jeff for the past two years, so he wanted to come here to support me,” said Sunflower Tienda owner Sheri Phillips, adding, “Jeff’s a great guy.”
Schwarz was on the way through the country, stopping at places like Swan River and Brandon, Manitoba, before making his pit stop in St. Paul, and explains there were other reasons too to stop in places like Sunflower Tienda.
“There’s lots of support for the show in smaller communities,” he said, noting that as he drove out of Edmonton, a man pulling up next to him at a gas station did a double-take when he saw him, saying, “What the f--- are you doing here? Holy f---!”
“People tend to forget there’s a big backbone in Canada,” he said, noting that backbone is the rural region of the country.
He noted that the other reason to make such stops is to get a better sense of what customers would like to purchase, so that his store can provide it.
In The Liquidator, Schwarz goes far and wide searching for discarded or unwanted merchandise, haggling for the best deal so he can re-sell the items at his 30,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Burnaby.
“We’re kind of like the undertakers,” he explains, noting he’ll look for opportunities like garage sales or people closing down for financial reasons to get a good deal. “There’s not many people out there that liquidate a dildo one day, a pumpkin the next and a pickled pepper the day after that.”
So how does a guy end up becoming the star of a reality show? For Schwarz, the answer to that lies in the fact he doesn’t lead a normal life, and like everyone else, knows crazy people. The reason he feels The Liquidator became popular – so popular, in fact, that it now airs in 160 countries – is because unlike other glossy reality shows, it showcases those colourful, crazy characters in their true, unvarnished glory.
“I only wanted to do it for one season. I just got sick of all the bullsh—out there,” he explains. “Let’s show people what the real world is like.”
And it seems to be appreciated. Schwarz’s appearance at the store brought in fans of the show, coming not only from the local area but also from as far as Fort Murray and in one case, Saskatchewan. As a couple of customers identify themselves as viewers, Schwarz talks easily with them about finding good deals and about products.
When asked what she thought about meeting Schwarz, Bonnyville’s Sindy Layh points to the same thing that Schwarz feels is the reason his show got made and has become popular – its authenticity.
“He’s just like he is on the show - so that’s cool!”
