abandoned toronto store

Nobody seems to know what is happening with this abandoned Toronto storefront

A visit to a seemingly abandoned Toronto storefront has given me more questions than answers.

Nestled at the corner of Dufferin and Armstrong it appears a storefront of some kind was shuttered and sealed shut, offering a mystery case to those who pass by.

toronto abandoned storeShelves line the never-opened store with knick-knacks, chachkis, trinkets and bobbles, while a bike, racks of clothes, tea pots and a unhinged door clutter the inside.

Half of the storefront has a wooden board covering up one window and there isn't a visible address printed on the front door.

It seems the space is some sort of storage locker, the new home for things that haven't been touched in ages and live within the dust.

toronto abandoned storeA side window features two racks of old-timey shoes and many porcelain figurines. Perhaps this was a gift store and cobbler mashup?

Trying to nail down the owners I look to the neighbour for clues, the  shuttered Unisex Hairstyling & Aesthetics.

This former shop has the address of 1184 Dufferin Street, so I assume the mystery store is 1186, to which Google Maps confirms.

toronto abandoned store
Popping that address into Ontario Land Registry gives me zero leads while searching on Google also provides me with a big whack of nothing. 

A search for 'abandoned store Dufferin Armstrong' pulls up a blog entry from 2015 in which the writer indicates the shop has been closed for as long as they've lived in the neighbourhood.

toronto abandoned storeSo this has been a long-time mystery, giving me more questions than answers. 

Does anybody know who or what this place used to be? And what is happening now? By chance, is the purple sweater inside available for purchase? - Asking for a friend.

Lead photo by

Sabrina Gamrot


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