Crowds turned out in the thousands to say goodbye to one of TORONTO’s most iconic stores. Known far and wide, Honest Ed’s was the last major kitschy bargain emporium in the city. Shopping there was an experience.
HONEST ED ALLEY, between the main store and annex, will be gone – and with it a large-scale photo mural called “The Theatre” by Matthew Monteith of Boston. ‘The Theatre’ is composed of numerous individual frames portraying the street as a continuous urban stage. It captures the vibrant, dense and theatrical nature of the neighbourhood that Honest Ed’s helped shape in its own image.” – Ilana Altman, curator
“Westbank paid $72-million for the site, a big number, and yet the result is as good as private development gets in TORONTO. It features meaningful preservation of heritage buildings, a serious sustainability agenda, and affordable housing – not to mention an architectural and leasing strategy geared at making the place as lively as possible, even a bit weird.” – Alex Bozikovic, Globe and Mail
Toronto Savvy 
I was never a fan of the store or the way it merchandised its wares but it will seem odd to stand at the corner of bloor and Bathurst and see condos and not the eye-popping signs. Sad!