A Tribute to Honest Ed

Honest Ed Mirvish passed away yesterday morning at the age of 92. He left a wife and son, a rejuvenated theatre district, a huge discount store that lights up Bathurst, and a legacy of giving out free turkeys at Christmas. I'm going to miss Honest Ed.

It's hard to know what to say about Ed that won't be said in the news anyway. He worked his way up from scratch and didn't let early failures dissuade him. He saved and rebuilt the theatre district in Toronto. He pioneered the "loss leader" merchandise, and his store sold those awesome, slightly warped Elvis busts you used to see everywhere. He was generous, and humble, and gave everyone free cake at his birthday party. He was a ballroom dancer, and he stayed married to his true love for 65 years.

Most of all, Ed wanted people to be happy. He made lots of money, sure, but he let us enjoy the success with him. He sold two for one tickets to his theatre shows on mother's day. He built affordable restaurants to give families a complete "night out" when they went to see a show. His huge discount store is not only the place to find marked down tupperware and strange, exotic canned goods; it also houses piles of slightly demented porcelain dogs, and groan-out-loud slogans like "Honest Ed is for the Birds! He's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!" How can you shop in Honest Ed's and not have fun?

A few years ago I attended Ed's birthday party with my husband. The day was hot, and the crowds were huge along the closed streets. Although the atmosphere could have bred impatient words and disgruntled families, everywhere I looked people were smiling and happy. We waited half an hour for a free hot dog but it was fun! Kids were running around with balloons, and a live band kept our feet tapping. I saw people from many different cultures that day, and heard snippets from dozens of different languages. Everyone was invited to share the joy of Ed’s carefree street party. Ed arrived and we sang him happy birthday. He was so warm and gracious even at his advanced age and under the hot sun. He was the perfect host and made us all feel like welcome friends. I wish I had a chance to meet him personally, but I feel like I knew him anyway.

Ed was a character and a true eccentric. We don't get many of them, and I'm grateful he made Toronto his home. He will be missed but not forgotten.