a little variety, please ...

[LowPolygon]

This old building used to be a variety store, its on Maria St in the Junction area:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&q=...YgZxEdqbJAUY_Ms9Ruo2bg&cbp=12,196.85,,0,-2.99

that's amazing--i drove by that not three weeks ago, and stopped to take a look at it.
its one of those amazing 'untouched' storefronts. it looks like they just locked the doors one day, years ago, and left everything exactly as it was. quite haunting....

 

[collations]

that's amazing--i drove by that not three weeks ago, and stopped to take a look at it.
its one of those amazing 'untouched' storefronts. it looks like they just locked the doors one day, years ago, and left everything exactly as it was. quite haunting....

Here's a photo of this little Maria St storefront that I took back on May 9, 2003. That's already seven years ago, and yet this "dead store" looks as frozen in time and space now as it did then!

 

[collations]

Here's a storefront that went from being "sponsored" to being without sponsorship ...

786 Annette St, April 5, 1999

786 Annette St, October 18, 2009

 

[collations]

And here's a storefront that retains sponsorship from a previous occupant, presumably, while not yet sporting a name of its own!!!

385 Roncesvalles Ave, February 27, 1999

 

[collations]

Another variety store, documented at a variety of points in its history ...

1033 College St, March 6, 1986

1033 College St, July 25, 2004

1033 College St, March 15, 2010

 

[LowPolygon]

Here's a storefront that went from being "sponsored" to being without sponsorship ...

786 Annette St, April 5, 1999

786 Annette St, October 18, 2009

i wonder what Wally did to lose his Kit Kat sponsorship? maybe the CCTV caught him munching on a Twix or something.

in any case, kudos to him for actually replacing a beat up cloth awning with a brand new one. such a classic look....

its heartening to see that there are at least a few shopkeepers who get it....

 

[thecharioteer]

i wonder what Wally did to lose his Kit Kat sponsorship? maybe the CCTV caught him munching on a Twix or something.

in any case, kudos to him for actually replacing a beat up cloth awning with a brand new one. such a classic look....

its heartening to see that there are at least a few shopkeepers who get it....

Now if someone could only advise Wally on signage......

 

[LowPolygon]

Now if someone could only advise Wally on signage......

sad but true. the awning is great but as for signage....

its one of those 'non-sign' signs that are ubiquitous these days--no typography, no design, no graphic sense, no beauty, no composition, no effort to attract customers. no thought....

just a big sheet of backlit plastic, with the crappiest and cheapest computer lettering available slapped on it.

signs like those are the graphic design equivalent of this:

 

[adma]

Now if someone could only advise Wally on signage......

Though an interesting tilt against political correctness to go from "Variety" to "Smoke"...

 

[Goldie]

Though an interesting tilt against political correctness to go from "Variety" to "Smoke"...

I wonder if, one day, young people will be puzzled when they view the old "smoke" signs. SMOKE, what's that????

Just as today, some are perplexed by the "Ladies and Escorts" signs in some of these archive photos.

And, of course, "FILM" will soon be an unknown word. We could have an interesting "Then & Now" relating to language.

 

[LowPolygon]

shuttered store on Dundas St E, at Hastings.

 

[collations]

shuttered store on Dundas St E, at Hastings.

Another version of same ... April 5, 2010.

 

[collations]

A few more images of possible interest ...

A corner store located at the south-east corner of Dufferin and Dupont streets ... June 27, 2010.

A couple of variety stores on Eglinton Hill, July 1, 2010 ...

And Tonks Variety, Rogers Rd, June 29, 2010. I'm pretty sure this is the same Tonks family that gave us Alan Tonks, former Mayor of the former City of York, and former Chairman of the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.

 

[adma]

Didn't the Tonks family have some other primary business down the street (pharmacy or hardware or something)?

Anyway, "Easy Shoping" has been around for at least a generation, no spell check necessary all that time. (And speaking of Eglinton Hill, is that "Mr. Beker" convenience store still around?)

 

[LowPolygon]

here's one from last night, on the corner of Jones and Shudell. this place has what i would call an 'immoderate' amount of signage going on. it seems that rather than simply replace their sign, they would rather just pile the new one on top of the old one in a cacophonous heap.

in any case, the Coke button is in immaculate condition--not a scratch on it....