You can stop at five or six stores or just one (Honest Ed’s)
I moved to Toronto in September 2016. I never stepped foot in Honest Ed’s.
However, one night during frosh week, I walked past the store. After passing by the myriad of nondescript Annex Bars and fast-food joints, I came upon the throbbing obnoxious electric signs that starkly stood out of place in the neighborhood. It kind of reminded me of this tacky outdoor flea market we had in the summer in my hometown, which got shut down after a vendor was selling counterfeit Coach bags. I was entranced, and asked my group, “What’s that?” To which I was responded to with a very sardonic,
“Who the hell cares?”
We continued walking. Only over Christmas Break did I learn of its significance, and by then, it was already gone. Nevertheless, I still feel grateful to have experienced being greeted by Honest Ed’s, in a way that many other new Toronto residents did in years past.
There’s a lot of hand-wringing that happens when a spot like Honest Ed’s closes down in Toronto, since so many generations have an attachment to it. I definitely used to fall into the camp of catatonic sentimentality, but experiences over the last few years have given me a more nuanced approach to that question.
Ultimately, I think we need to ask ourselves what purpose a building like Honest Ed’s serves in the 21st century — and the best way to approach that is to ask the community. Hearing from owner of A Different Booklist and community leader Itah Sadu really gave some good contextualization of the space and the significance it holds from community members and businessowners in the area. I truly do think that the Mirvish Village development was the right choice for the area, but that a huge reason behind that is because of their community consultation. There’s a right way and a wrong way to spearhead a project like this, and they made the right call through this rigorous consultation process instead of ramming it through court.
As iconic as Honest Ed’s was to the city, if we want to make proper use of the city we need to update the site so its original spirit is preserved. Honest Ed’s didn’t start off a flickering loud neon sign, it gave belonging to people and created a hub of community. We can be sentimental without sacrificing utility.
