Honestly Ed's
First of all, I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from friends and family about this little venture of mine. I had no idea that anyone would read it other than my L.A. friend, Sundry. But to my complete surprise, it seems that I have several readers out there. So, well THANKS. I really appreciate it.
Anyhoo, this past weekend the Fambly went to the long-standing Toronto institution, 
Honest Ed's. For 58 years, Ed's has been a tribute to shopping gluttony. From the outside, it looks like a Vegas casino, but inside you can buy virtually anything you can think of. I saw 
food, kitchen supplies, clothes for men, women and children, electronics, rugs, a pharmacy, a beauty salon and more. Granted, the items come in when they come in (like a Big Lots) and the bargains are only for select items, but if you only have time to go to one store, this would probably be your best bet.
Actually, the most interesting thing about Ed's is the decor. There are dozens and dozens of stage posters hanging around the store. Ed Mirvish, "Honest Ed" himself, was a prominent Toronto stage play producer (Mirvish Productions is currently running the big Lord of the Rings musical) and posters for some of his plays are on view. Also, there are tons of signed headshots of people like Dean Martin, Liberace and Gloria Swanson.
I normally don't get claustrophobic, but I was getting a little panic-y. Also, it was pretty had to maneuver the baby stroller with all the stairs. The elevator only went up and down to a few floors and only in one side of the store, as the store consist of two buildings connected by a walkway to allow customers to travel from the west building to the east building.
There are tons of signs with prices on the store in a very specific style. Devoted Husband and I thought it was a computer generated font, but I guess that every piece of signage, right down to the prices of individual items, is a hand-painted showcard created by a traditional in-house signpainter. There's a job that I didn't know existed.
Now that I've been, I doubt I'll be back soon, that is until my Mom comes up for a visit and has a need for a souvenir moose with a Canadian flag on it's tummy.
A CANADIAN FACT!
In July, 2005, Ed Mirvish celebrated his 91st birthday with a lavish party, to which all of Toronto was invited, at Honest Ed's.
Honest Ed's. For 58 years, Ed's has been a tribute to shopping gluttony. From the outside, it looks like a Vegas casino, but inside you can buy virtually anything you can think of. I saw 
food, kitchen supplies, clothes for men, women and children, electronics, rugs, a pharmacy, a beauty salon and more. Granted, the items come in when they come in (like a Big Lots) and the bargains are only for select items, but if you only have time to go to one store, this would probably be your best bet.
Actually, the most interesting thing about Ed's is the decor. There are dozens and dozens of stage posters hanging around the store. Ed Mirvish, "Honest Ed" himself, was a prominent Toronto stage play producer (Mirvish Productions is currently running the big Lord of the Rings musical) and posters for some of his plays are on view. Also, there are tons of signed headshots of people like Dean Martin, Liberace and Gloria Swanson.
I normally don't get claustrophobic, but I was getting a little panic-y. Also, it was pretty had to maneuver the baby stroller with all the stairs. The elevator only went up and down to a few floors and only in one side of the store, as the store consist of two buildings connected by a walkway to allow customers to travel from the west building to the east building.
There are tons of signs with prices on the store in a very specific style. Devoted Husband and I thought it was a computer generated font, but I guess that every piece of signage, right down to the prices of individual items, is a hand-painted showcard created by a traditional in-house signpainter. There's a job that I didn't know existed.
Now that I've been, I doubt I'll be back soon, that is until my Mom comes up for a visit and has a need for a souvenir moose with a Canadian flag on it's tummy.
A CANADIAN FACT!
In July, 2005, Ed Mirvish celebrated his 91st birthday with a lavish party, to which all of Toronto was invited, at Honest Ed's.
posted by Unknown @ 3/27/2006 08:41:00 AM
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