Heading south, neons increased in frequency and size until, just north of Dundas, the mother of them all shone the brightest and spoke the loudest; the double platter of Sam the Record Man.

As I grew a bit older and could venture downtown on my own, Sam’s was among the first places I frequented. It helped that I was a hopeless lover of music and records, but the intrigue of the giant red and white sign was what really brought me in. Eventually, I even got a job in the store and loved finishing a shift late on a summer night and walking out into the red-neon blanketed street.

There is a grittiness to neon, that perhaps made it less appealing as the city modernized and matured. Inevitably, slowly the signs disappeared. Certainly as the businesses changed and new ones opened, neon did not play as big a role. The Yonge street of the 2010’s was almost unrecognizable from its 1970’s counterpart. Now, Toronto’s downtown is decidedly more modern, but feels less like the ‘someplace’ where I grew up. Walking the same street today I find myself wondering where the action is now. As Gertrude Stein once said, “there is no there there” anymore.

The Sam’s sign was turned off when the store shut in 2007, and like so much of Toronto’s amazing neon art, its future was uncertain. When the building was bought by Ryerson University they committed to restoring the sign and keeping it on display, pretty much where it had lived since it was first put up in the 60’s. But that is not what happened. For years Ryerson dragged its feet claiming the high cost of restoration made the project untenable. The sign finally did get the love it deserved, but was mounted in a new home on Victoria street.

When we opened up Henderson in 2015 we knew a neon sign was in the cards. The craftsmanship and uniqueness of them keeps them very attractive to me personally, and reflects the values of our brand at Henderson. Plus, I wanted to tell people that this is where the action is. Closing the tap room on a summer night and walking out into the blue and red glow of the neon still makes me happy.

As we have done for 6 years here at the Brewery, we used this Toronto Icon as inspiration for one of our monthly ‘Ides’ beers. Red and vibrant, like the sign itself, our “Sam, Sam” Cherry Hibiscus Blonde Ale is bubbly, refreshing and simple. Like our little sign above the tap room, this is our homage to the neon that lit the streets of our city when it was a bit grittier and less polished.

I read last year that there is a proposed neon museum set for the city run by Mark Garner (executive director and COO of the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Association). In 2022 they are planning for pop up museums around the city to display the signs they have already collected and restored. Hey Mark, I’ve got the perfect beer to toast your opening.

-Steve Himel is the GM & Co-Founder, Henderson Brewing Company and a lover of neon signs

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More of Steve’s Favourite Signs

The post A Toast to Toronto’s Neon Nostalgia appeared first on Toronto Guardian.

I’ve continued to visit and then lived in the area and things sure have evolved. Fashion giants like H&Ms and other stores started popping up in the area. What happened? “My” Queen Street was always a destination where shopping went beyond the shopping mall and stores I couldn’t find elsewhere…or at least collections that were exclusive to a few shops.

I stepped into the new NEON shop with much curiosity last week– just west of Spadina past the many eateries that seemed to have sprouted overnight here. The recently opened store (Canadian owned!) is treasure trove of those “tried and true”. Forever brands that have managed to have staying power and has seen a recent breath of life thanks to a renewed global interest in authentic street style.

In fact, I learned they’ve sourced many of the pieces from observing styles on the streets of Japan and other fashion forward cities around the world. My eyes popped when I saw Anello bags here. I had not seen the brand elsewhere in the city. When I asked how they decided to bring the label here, the staff mentioned this brand was noticed in Tokyo and their buyers did their due diligence snapping up photos of what regular people were wearing doing their everyday things. Whenever they spotted something different on the streets there and also in New York, LA and Europe they made notes. and did their research to bring these items into NEON. What caught my attention on this particular Anello bag was the minimalist design but attention to details. Hard to explain but that’s what grabs me. It’s the subtleties in the piece that shows confidence. They aren’t screaming anything but those who know…just know.

I poked around the store for a couple of hours rediscovering some well-loved brands. I noticed a decent selection of the Vintage 70s collection designs by Levis, Fjall Raven, Converse, Bomber Jackets by Alpha Industries who designed the MA-1 jackets and yes, Dr. Martens among others.

Despite the shop being located in a tourist zone, there are definitely some great hidden finds here. There were a few #gottagetem Toronto inspired items from Main and Local. By the way, their slogan is “souvenirs and gifts that don’t suck”.

There are also collaboration pieces with Montreal’s art-based crew Le Cartel found here that are hoard-worthy with limited runs.

Beyond the clothing and shoes there’s oodles of nik-naks and furnishings that are up for sale. The staff tell me that if it’s not nailed down, it’s for sale. Vintage pieces and retro design items from doorknobs to steel chairs to wooden tables and ladders can be had and at affordable prices.

NEON definitely makes a statement in urban culture and style. You can explore at your leisure in Toronto at 501 Queen Street West.

Visit their website for more info.

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