HMV is making a comeback across the GTA but not where you'd expect

Hey Toronto, remember HMV? With their 2 for $25 CDs, rows of vinyl, live performances, and so much more, it's hard to find someone in the city without fond memories of the establishment.

If you've been missing that nostalgia, you're in luck. HMV is coming to stores near you — more specifically, to the shelves of your local Toys "R" Us store.

@tannerzipchen Guess what’s making a comeback… #ToysRUs #HMV ♬ original sound - Tanner Zipchen

Until its Canada-wide closure in 2017, HMVs were a staple of the Canadian music community. Its flagship Yonge Street location opened in 1991 and was an immediate hit, turning music shopping into a multi-level department store experience.

Beyond buying vinyl, CDs, and music merch, people could listen to new songs in-store or crowd around to watch music videos on the many TV screens. You could even attend a concert at HMV Underground.

Sloan performing at the HMV Underground. Photo by Matt Forsythe.

While it may be too much to dream of another multi-level physical media store, people in Toronto will soon have the ability to experience a little slice of that HMV nostalgia.

After months of empty shelves with "under construction" signs at local Toys "R" Us locations, people have noticed shelves of vinyl, CDs, and other music merch popping up. 

@4scarrs_gaming Since when did Toys R Us start carrying records, cd's and blu-rays? #tru #toysrus #geoffery #cd's #records #bluray #movies #music #vinyl #fyp #fypシ #fypage ♬ original sound - 4ScarrsGaming

Toys "R" Us Canada has since confirmed that these shelves will be HMV-branded. It's not as out of the box as you might think — Doug Putman, owner of Toys "R" Us Canada, also owns the HMV brand.

Five Toys "R" Us stores in Ontario already carry the branded shelves: Pickering, Brantford, Mississauga, Burlington, and Argentia Road. And more locations throughout the GTA are expected to start carrying the new section in the coming months.

Lots of TikTok users were optimistic about the news.

"Used to practically live in HMV when I was a teen," one person commented. "Then I worked there. And still practically lived in it. My fave place."

@purple_watermelon97 I miss this store so bad 😭💜 #fyp #foryou #nostalgia #hmvcanada ♬

Some are even hoping that the change will help bring physical media back to the next generation. 

Others who have already been to the HMV shelves worry this change will just lead to high prices. "It was super cool to see HMV again but man the prices were crazy high," said one visitor. 

Beyond the more emotional responses, some people just have a practical question: can you use your old HMV gift cards?

Unfortunately, Toys "R" Us has confirmed they won't be accepted.

So what do you think, Toronto? Will HMV be able to survive this time around — or is it doomed to face the same fate as the many physical media stores before it?