Toronto vintage store known for selling clothes by the pound for cheap is being forced to close
A popular Toronto vintage store is being forced to close down one of its locations, and owners are not happy about it.
Expo Vintage Clothing took to Instagram to share the unfortunate news with its 13.3k followers, citing zoning issues and a standoff with Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) in a directly-worded caption.
"I’ll keep this short, sweet and poignant: Our four-year battle with Toronto Zoning is over and, simply put, Municipal Lincens[ing] and Standards will not allow us to have a retail store at 1978 Dundas West anymore," the August 7 post starts off.
It goes on to explain that, given the circumstances, the secondhand clothing retailer will have to shutter the location, which was known for selling vintage apparel by the pound — something that's hard to find in the city — as well as for hosting events.
"We have no current plans to re-open at an alternative location, but have not ruled it out for the future," the post continues, providing a final closing date of the end of October. It adds that "Toronto is notoriously unforgiving to spaces like this, and all it takes is one NIMBY local resident to complain," which we at blogTO know all too well.
Following the announcement, there was an outpouring of support, with many taking to the comments section to leave kind words of encouragement, along with sharing anecdotes of their experiences with the 1978 Dundas shop.
One shopper stated, "I bought every pair of pants I own here," while another said , "Some of the best memories I've had in the past three years [are] cuz of this expo location. Really REALLY hate to see it go out like this."
The disappointment is tangible.
Nick, the owner-operator of Expo, spoke with blogTO about his experience with the City and the zoning rules on Tuesday, summing it all up in two words: "So ridiculous."
"I really don't understand why selling cheap, accessible second-hand clothing for everyone is a problem in ANY zoning," he said. "One of the biggest problems about my industry is that clothing stores like Gap and H&M do not need vending permits, but the little guy like me, selling second-hand clothing, does."
He further explained how difficult it feels as a business owner to access zoning information through the City. "When I first started my zoning change request, you could only access information on the zoning from the city archives. If I called MLS, they had absolutely no information on my area. The particular zoning we are in is part of a former bylaw."
Nick recalls the COVID era, when he first started applying for this change, saying it was an "almost impossible" process.
"It would take months for anyone to answer, and no one really knew what was going on. The whole thing has been extremely frustrating due to the 'former bylaw' zoning I am in," he said.
"I've done everything I can, except apply for a minor variance that costs upwards of $10,ooo, and it's not even a guarantee."
Thankfully, the brand intends to maintain the space, converting it into something decidedly non-retail, which Nick hints at in the closure post.
"We have some crazy plans for the future that are a little more 'by the books,'" he writes, pointing to the final picture in his carousel, a snapshot of a pizza, as a "teaser of what's to come in the next few months." It looks like some more events may also be in the cards.
"This space is and will always be for you," he ends off before suggesting fans shop while they still can.
Expo Vintage is located at 1978 Dundas Street West, with a second location further east at 1450 Dundas.
