Honest Ed's sign

The last Honest Ed's sign has been ripped down

It was just one year ago when Toronto learned that a demolition date had been set for Honest Ed's - along with its huge, flashy, incandescent signs.

Since then, one of the store's four legendary marquee signs (the one facing west onto Markham Street) was saved by David Mirvish.

Other, smaller signs were preserved by Westbank Development Corp, which purchased the discount department before closing it forever in 2016. Still others were unceremoniously pitched in dumpsters as the site was prepared for demolition.

Two of the other gigantic light-up signs were torn down over the past few months as Honest Ed's disappeared, bit by bit, from its longtime home at Bathurst and Bloor.

A post shared by Alison Gordon (@alisonphoto) on

As of this morning, only one part of one sign still remained. As of this afternoon, that sign is a pile of rubble.

#riphonesteds you will be missed

A post shared by jackiiiee (@jackiiiee) on

As sad as this might be for some people to watch, it's also intriguing visually to see the mighty icon crumble.

They're tearing down the Honest Ed's sign and it is totally mesmerising

A post shared by Melanie Wood (@melw00d) on

Almost everything left of the much loved discount retailer is now gone, but the stories of cheap deals, funny finds and annual turkey giveaways will live on the hearts of those who experienced them forever.

There are also many, many Honest Ed's photos on the internet to spark your nostalgia.

Lead photo by

Mike Cinovskis


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Here's a preview of what it will be like to ride on new Toronto LRT line

There's a brand-new $26M TTC subway station entrance in a popular Toronto park

Ontario's largest snake grows up to 2 metres and squeezes prey to death

Ontario is home to world's oldest pool of water at a staggering 2 billion years old

Stunning new Toronto park set to open next year

Toronto somehow isn't home to Ontario's jankiest LRT

A Toronto transit project is actually going to finish early for once

People worried about Ontario police's plan to use facial recognition software