The Fall Of A Giant

Not only Toronto but the world lost a great man this week, one of which we will not see for many a year. "Honest" Ed Mirvish, the man who brought theatre to Toronto passed away at the age of 92. Many will remember him for his discount store on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst, but it was more than simply a discount store. Many immigrants who began their lives in Toronto, who came here with not a dime to their name shopped at Honest Ed's. It was a place where they could buy bowls and dishes for under a dollar, and for that they will be eternally grateful. He was a man who wanted everyone to be able to live with dignity and decency. I remember being a little guy and my mom taking me to this huge store on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst with what seemed to be a million lightbulbs. I was in awe. I remember my brother and I running up and down the stairs of the huge store, getting lost and eventually meeting up in the toy section. For me, Ed had a special spot. Still, that's only one story of many the man gave us. How about how he saved the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1963 from demolition then brought us the musicals The Lion King, Les Miserables and so many more. Or how about the phenomenal birthday party he used to throw for himself ever year and invite everyone in Toronto to. My favourite however, would have to be where every Christmas he would give out free turkeys to whoever wanted to come by his store. You see, he understood what it was like not to have a lot. His immigrant parents came here with nothing and after his father died Ed had to drop out of school at the age of 15 to help his mother with the family grocery store.

In a world where businessmen walk over anyone and everyone to make it to the top, it was refreshing to see a man come from rags to riches only to give it all back to the people he loved. The lightbulbs on his discount store will be out for a few days and the music that plays in the hallways will be silenced. He used to have some great slogans on his store. One I remember was "Honest Ed is for the birds, his prices are cheap...cheap...cheap." If they were ever to put a new one up I found this idea from someone to be quite amazing: "Ed may be up in heaven, but his prices are still down to earth." I figured he would have liked that.

I think I need to stop by Honest Ed's this week.

Unknown Legend