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Random Ontario retail nostalgia

Beaver Lumber. Co-op stores (still exist in some places, but I'm guessing not in the GTA). Miracle Mart.

If anyone grew up near Georgetown... Country Video.
 
James said:
One of my early Toronto memories was biking to the Knob Hill Farms at Cherry Street and slowly making my way home, awkwardly balancing bags on each handle bar.
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Ahh yes, Knob Hill Farms. I was at the Beer Store a couple weeks ago, and someone was returning empties in one of those iconic plastic black Knob Hill Farms baskets they used to give out.
 
cruzin4u said:
Great thread! Oh, how I remember Consumers Distributing - fun times going to the store and having the employee check the back for an item, only to come out and say they don't have it in stock.

What about Ponderosa Steakhouses?
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When I moved to Fredericton from 2004 to 2007 I was surprised to see a Ponderosa there. We ate there a few times. It is very popular with the blue hairs since you don't pay a tip.

The chain is still strong in Atlantic Canada http://www.forlocations.ca/ponderosasteakhouse-fredericton-hours-locations/nb
 
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Admiral Beez said:
When I moved to Fredericton from 2004 to 2007 I was surprised to see a Ponderosa there. We ate there a few times. It is very popular with the blue hairs since you don't pay a tip.

The chain is still strong in Atlantic Canada http://www.forlocations.ca/ponderosasteakhouse-fredericton-hours-locations/nb
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That a lot of stores for the area and the only place I know in Canada these days. The last of the Kingston Area stores close some years ago with the GTA ones gone a couple of decades ago.

They went by the way side for most places about 10 years ago and only exist in a few places in the US these day. Everyone I went to in NY are all gone except for Niagara Falls. Love eating at them during my trips.

Duff was another chain to eat at, but die a quick death as people eat it out of business. The larger folks could be seen with stacks of empty plates sitting on their table and would be eating for at least 5+ people at a sitting.

Long John Sliver is gone from KW and the US. Was surprise to see one in KW and the only place I know of in Canada.

Red Barn is another from the past.
 
A few (relatively recent) memories:

I moved to Toronto (and Canada) in 1990. I came here several times on vacation with my parents before then, starting in 1983.

Pre-move memories include Woolworth's (I remember driving past the Woolworth's building on Bay St. where the Trump now stands) and Toby's (which used to be everywhere--there's still one in Hamilton. I also remember going to Towers and Simpson's.

At the time of my move, there were still Olive Gardens in Ontario. There used to be one in the Atrium on Bay where the Spring Rolls currently resides. (Olive Garden is still in Canada out west). Kmart and Woolco were still around, and Towers was just going out of business. Other places I remember are JJ Muggs (Eaton Centre, approximately where Joey is today) and Lime Rickey's (on Eglinton East just past Yonge). Then there was the Future's bakery--I believe the one in the Annex is still there, but they had several other locations. There also used to be a lot more Golden Griddles. Someone already has mentioned Consumer's Distributing--there used to be one at Victoria Park and Eglinton that I went to. Fairweather's was a really nice women's clothing store, unlike the tacky discount brand it's become today, and they had a large store in the Eaton Centre. And, of course, Eaton's was still Eaton's.

Another place I remember was Stitsky's, a fabric store on Bathurst St. Bought the material I made my wedding dress out of there.
 
TGIFridays made a brief foray into Toronto. There was one on King West, across from where TIFF is now. My rowing club used to go there because they had an old wooden shell hanging from the ceiling. I think it was open no more than a few months though.
 
AndreaPalladio said:
TGIFridays made a brief foray into Toronto. There was one on King West, across from where TIFF is now. My rowing club used to go there because they had an old wooden shell hanging from the ceiling. I think it was open no more than a few months though.
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I remember hearing something that the guy who owns the rights to TGIFriday's in Ontario isn't allowed to operate restaurants here because of some legal issue.

There also used to be a Friday's at Pearson. No idea if it's still there.
 
FAC33 said:
Pre-move memories include Woolworth's (I remember driving past the Woolworth's building on Bay St. where the Trump now stands) and Toby's (which used to be everywhere--there's still one in Hamilton. I also remember going to Towers and Simpson's.
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I believe the Yonge & Bloor Toby's moved to College & Bathurst and that they are still there (at least they were last time I paid attention).
 
All through the 20th century you could easily find a coffee shop on every corner where you could go in and get just a cup of coffee without eating, usually with free refills. During the 70s & 80s they started to disappear and it became really difficult to have a sit down coffee by itself. There was gap of about 5 years before the donut shops started popping up to take their place led by Mister Donut, Country Style then Coffee Time and Tim Horton's. That of course was followed by more upscale offerings from Timothy's, Second Cup & Starbucks. And here we are full circle with a coffee shop on every corner.
 
Speaking of coffee shops, my grandmother and I used to go to the Leslie Bakery (I think that's what it was called) on Steeles when I was very little. It was near our house (I grew up in the Bayview/Steeles area (south side). The Leslie Bakery had (what I then thought) the BEST HOT DOGS (which I got A LOT. My grandmother always had a coffee and a banana muffin)!!! They also had really good cheese cakes and espresso cakes. I think they got a froyo machine in 1988 or 1989. Froyo back then was order-at-the-counter and they would make it with various types of fruit (it still amazes me how people my age (34) seem to forget that there was a frozen yogurt craze 25 years ago). Leslie Bakery shut down some time in the mid 90s and it is now a Shoppers Drug Mart (which was in a different part of the mall back in the day). The area where Leslie Bakery was in also had a Becker's, a meat shop and a few others food-related stores. Other businesses in the mall included a Chinese restaurant (Helena - I think it's still there), dry cleaners and hair place if I recall correctly.
 
The Keg moved out of the 295 West Mall location (at Bloor) down to the new Sherway location last year, so that old Crock and Block building is for lease according to Google Street View pics from Nov 2016.

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