Whatever Happened to Consumers Distributing?
Stubby pencils, order forms and a catalogue full of wishes. How a Toronto catalogue showroom grew into a national chain, and why it vanished in 1996.
Gone
Places and brands Ontario lost — what happened, and what’s there now.
Kmart Canada: The Discount Chain Ontario Lost
Canada's first Kmart opened in London, Ontario, in 1963. Thirty-five years later the chain was sold to the Hudson's Bay Company, and the name disappeared within weeks.
Remember Towers?
Before the signs changed to Zellers, Towers was a discount department store fixture in Ontario. Here's where it came from and where it went.
The Ontario Malls We Grew Up In
From Hamilton's Centre Mall to Yorkdale, Square One and the Eaton Centre: how Ontario learned to shop indoors, and why so many of those malls have changed or vanished.
Woolco Before Walmart
Red Grille lunches, $1.44 Days and stores of 100,000 square feet. Woolco was Woolworth's discount chain, and in 1994 it became Walmart's way into Canada.
Boblo Island: The Amusement Park at the End of a Boat Ride
For generations, two grand steamers carried families down the Detroit River to an island park off Amherstburg. Here's the story of Boblo, and what's on the island now.
Crystal Beach Park: The Ontario Amusement Park People Still Miss
For a century, a Lake Erie park near Fort Erie drew crowds from both sides of the border with the Comet, sugar waffles and a boat from Buffalo. Here's what happened to Crystal Beach.