‘Honest’ Ed Mirvish passed away yesterday at the ripe old age of 92.
I’d never heard of Ed Mirvish before I moved to Toronto, but once there, stories of Honest Ed’s department store drew me like a magnet. A gigantic kitch bargain emporium of a decidedly old-school bent, I found it a welcome, tacky respite from a city that prides itself on professionalism and good taste. And that was just one part of the Mirvish discount-store/restaurant/theatre empire.
The guy lived a colourful life, made lots of money, gave generously and made Toronto a slightly weirder place in the process. What’s not to like about a guy who is made Commander of the British Empire and interprets it as “Creates Bargains Everywhere”?
Yup, Ed will be missed. And his store is just so… weird, yet useful. The place is a timewarp, to a different era of everyday low prices:
99c panties / Lingerie for the Lady in Your Life.
He took the department store “everything under one roof” approach in a different direction: buried somewhere in the maze are a hair salon, dentist, and immigration lawyer. The prices are very immigrant-friendly, and there’s actually a surprisingly varied range of foods on the basement level.
Okay, gotta post one more photo that really captures the spirit of the place: Signs signs signs.
Awesome. Not just 99c panties, these are 99-cent fancy panties. Which would be a good name for a really lame band.