Retail Retrospective - Honest Ed's

 

Location: TD Gallery, Toronto Reference Library

Date photo taken:2 November 2025

The richness and variety of the collections held by the Toronto Public Library never cease to amaze me. Who knew, for example, that they have a pretty remarkable collection of shopping bags? Well they do and items from that collection form the heart of Retail Retrospective, the current installation at the TD Gallery. The story behind the bags is pretty cool too. A librarian in the 1960s sent out over 200 letters and collected over 100 bags from around the world, then curated an exhibition entitled "Art of the Shopping Bag" which ended up touring to libraries across the city. Some of those bags are included in this exhibit - marked with a '66 logo - but other bags from iconic Toronto retailers are included, shifting the focus away from design to an exploration of the ever-changing retail landscape in our city. 

The Gallery is free to attend and is located on the ground floor of the Reference Library at 789 Yonge Street. This exhibit runs until January 11, 2026.

Bell Box - Long Branch Public Library

 

Location: Thirty Second Street at Lakeshore

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021 

Image #15 in the Bellbox Series

The mural on this Bell Box is an ode to books and to the Long Branch Public Library, which it sits just beside. This branch was opened on May 26, 1955 by the Village of Long Branch. In 1967 it was taken over by the Etobicoke Public Library Board when the Village amalgamated with the Township of Etobicoke, and in 1998 it became part of the Toronto Public Library system. The branch is home to the Long Branch Historical Society Local History Collection as well as a large collection of materials in Polish, and an art exhibition space. 

The mural is the work of Naz Nahidi and was painted as part of the Bell Box Murals Project in 2020.

Toronto Reference Library

Location: 789 Yonge Street
Date photo taken: 19 September 2013

It's no secret that I love the Toronto Public Library. While we can't currently visit them, the system has 100 branches which are as diverse as the city itself. They include beautiful Beaux Arts branches built with grant money from Andrew Carnegie and small storefronts tucked into strip malls. Then there's this grand and airy gem designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama. In addition to housing the bulk the of the library's reference collection, the Reference Library also includes the TD Gallery, special collections such as the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana and the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection, a Digital Innovation Hub and countless spaces for lectures, talks, workshops, classes and more.

Even in these days of closures and social distancing, the library is still making books, movies and music available to Torontonians through their digital channels.

Blind Date with a Book

Location: St. Lawrence branch, Toronto Public Library
Date photo taken: 5 March 2016

Blind Date with a Book is yet another of the Toronto Public Library's fun programs. While the idea didn't start with them, branches all over the city have adopted the idea and made it their own. These books from the St. Lawrence branch are wrapped in newspaper (more words!) to hide their identity, but one sentence taped to the front provides a clue to what you can expect when you get the book home. With the weather so rainy right now, it's the perfect time to set yourself up!

Signal

Location: SE corner of Front and Parliament, behind the Toronto Public Library Administration Building (at time photo taken - has since been moved).

Date photo taken: 25 October 2012

This sculpture, by Peter Winchel Sager, was, until recently, resting quietly on the grass behind the library building at Front and Parliament. Set back from the road, close to the parking lot, it was easy to overlook. But it wasn't always this way. This fibreglass sculpture was originally erected in 1968 outside of the Parliament Street branch of the Toronto Public Library at Parliament and Gerrard, and at that time it was standing, not reclining as it does here. Since this picture was taken, the sculpture has been removed - perhaps it will appear at a library branch near you!

Thanks to Carol Barbour, Gallery and Exhibits Curator at the Toronto Reference Library for her research, and for supplying this image of Signal in its original location.

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library