Honestly, (it's so hard not to use that word in this review), I came here as kind of a gawker. I wanted to see how cheesy this place could be with its bright lights and pithy signs about Honest Ed and Toronto musical theater history posters. And those were all there is carnivally, markety abundance.
But I was won over by this store's good prices (dollar store good!) and wide selection. Finding myself gazing at things I had no use for and couldn't fit in my backpack (like the neon bar signs that form a ceiling display in the basement), I was in ticky tacky awe!
Much of the stuff here has a thrift store feel (even if it's new). It's definitely a bit musty here and feels somewhat disorganized (even within the labeled sections). But despite the fact that much of the merchandise and all of the employees felt like they were left behind in the 1970s, something gave me joyous feel of shopping in a museum. Like anything I purchased would be a souvenir.
In the end, all I bought a plaster polar bear in a maple leaf sweater ($5.00 of the best junk ever) as my only purchase, but their Canada themed clutter even beats the airport for selection and obscurity.
But what I honestly (pun mostly intended) find the most amazing is that there are people who shop here on a weekly basis just to buy groceries or household needs or sundries. When chain department stores have become the rule rather than the exception in North American cities, I am jealous that people in Toronto have this local treasure.