‘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”?
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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.