Portugese Store on Bloor Street

Portugese Store on Bloor Street, originally uploaded by Melsky.

Holiday Shoppers

IMG_2123, originally uploaded by SUN Eric.

On Bloor Street, Yorkdale

RIP Honest Ed Mirvish

Honest Ed died this morning at 92. He was one of Toronto's most famous characters, a showman and a retailer. He's on the left in this photo.

honest ed and mr. t, originally uploaded by mdintoronto.

He was the founder and proprietor of the famed Honest Ed's Bargain Emporium at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor in the annex.

The store is huge and intentionally gaudy and silly. It has huge signs and many lights. Many people think it's an eyesore. I think it's kind of cool.

Honest Ed's, originally uploaded by gailatlarge.com.

Honest Ed grew up in a retail family. He started out in a grocery store on Dundas Street, then had a business selling women's dresses. But women's dresses were kind of a pain to sell. If you don't stock exactly the right styles and sizes you will have merchandise left over, and it's time intensive to wait on customers. So Ed decided to get into the closeout business. It's much easier to just open a box of stuff and have people serve themselves than it is to sell clothing. Though now Honest Ed's sells clothing too.

Pants , belts & a beautiful handcarved chinese mirror, originally uploaded by gin-star.

The Chinese Antiques are from a Chinese restaurant he used to own. I love that you can buy cheap clothing in bins and amazing antiques in the same room.

He also owns many theatres, and theatrical photos and memorabilia lavishly decorate his store. He owned Honest Ed's before he owned the theatres. He never actually set out to be a theatrical magnate - he bought his first theatre, the Princess of Wales, because it was such a bargain he couldn't pass it up.

Honest Ed's is the sort of place where you never know what you will find. It's a good place to buy Toronto souvenirs, dishes, seasonal items, kitchen stuff, small appliances, hardware and tacky home decor items like gilded busts of Elvis.

Elvis... in good humour, originally uploaded by iamterris.

Honest Ed threw a birthday party for himself each year. He would have been 93 in just a few weeks.

I learned all this about Honest Ed by reading his biography

How to build an Empire in an Orange Crate, or 121 Lessons I Never Learned in School. It seems to be out of print, I had checked it out of the Toronto Public Library.

You can find out more about him at Honest Ed's Web Page

Honest Ed's Obituary

Good bye Honest Ed, you made Toronto a little more fun.

honest-eds-23.jpg, originally uploaded by Monstro Wolfhard.

honest-eds-24.jpg, originally uploaded by Monstro Wolfhard.

Harry's Shoe Repair

Harry's Shoe Repair, originally uploaded by Melsky.

This is a cool old storefront on Bloor Street that is still in business.

South India Dosa Mahal Window

South India Dosa Mahal Window, originally uploaded by Melsky.

This is a restaurant near Landsdowne and Bloor, a quick walk from my house. Recently they remodeled and put photos of a lot of their dishes in the window, which I like.

You can see Bloor Street reflected in it too.

I reviewed it here: South India Dosa Mahal

Spring on Bloor

Spring on Bloor, originally uploaded by Melsky.

"Gentlemen's Club" and Church are co-joined

"Gentlemen's Club" and Church are cojoined, originally uploaded by Melsky.

This is a church and Erotic Entertainment facility that share a wall. I always wonder if the dancers drill holes in the wall to watch the churchgoers pray.

Click on the photo to see it bigger, it's hard to tell from this size.

Fran's Special

Fran's Special, originally uploaded by Melsky.

This is a window sign from a little convinience store/deli on Bloor West, not to be confused with the more famous and more expensive Fran's on College Street.

From the looks of this place, I would not want to eat there. It looks dingy. But it's such a cool sign!

Sonia's Advertising

Sonia's Advertising, originally uploaded by Melsky.

Should I hire Sonia to advertise my business?

This is on Bloor Street near Christie Pitts park.

Film Crew at the Old Kingsway

Film Crew at the Old Kingsway, originally uploaded by Melsky.

We see a lot of film crews around. I see a lot more filming here than when I lived in Southern California.

Bloor Street at Dusk

Bloor Street at Dusk, originally uploaded by Melsky.

I took this yesterday while I was waiting for my husband to come out of the dollar store.

Pink Flowers

Pink Flowers, originally uploaded by Melsky.

In front of the Bloor Gladstone library.

Harry's Shoe Repair

Harry's Shoe Repair, originally uploaded by Melsky.

This is on Bloor Street. It looks like it's been there for a long time.