Toronto's Tiny Mall... and Bangla Town | East End Walk (May 2024)

A walk from Victoria Park Station to Shoppers World Danforth and then along Bangla Town to Main Street Station.
0:01 - TTC Victoria Park Station
2:15 - North on Victoria Park Avenue
6:55 - Danforth & Victoria Park
8:38 - Shoppers World Danforth (plaza & mall)
16:50 - West on Danforth Avenue (Bangla Town)
30:15 - Main Street / TTC Main St Station
Recorded in 4K at 60 FPS on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
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[@brentsarazin6597]

Thanks Johnny. Nice weather eh.😀

[@JohnnyStrides]

Thank you!

[@Modano1973]

Thanks for taking the trip there, Johnny. I grew up and lived in that neighborhood for 19 years. There was a larger indoor footprint of the mall back in the 80s and 90s. Other than the Eaton's, and Zellers which were the two main anchors back then, the indoor part of the mall used to have a Peoples Jewelry, Marks and Spencer, Laura Secord, Singer, Tip Top Tailors, Coles Book Store, Cadet Cleaners, Reitman's, a lottery kiosk, a video store, and a dollar store. I even remember there was a t-shirt kiosk inside the mall that would make iron-on t-shirts on the spot. There also used to be a cafeteria/food court inside the mall. There were at least three entrances into the mall back then. On the outside part, there used to be a Bi-Way, Black's Camera, Music World, Penningtons, a shoe repair shop, a tire/auto store, and a barber shop as some examples. What was interesting about Bi-Way back then was they had a second store just across the street from the mall. Something similar to what Dollarama are doing today at some locations. Dominion/Metro, Shoppers Drug Mart, and CIBC, i believe, are the only businesses that are still there today from the 80s and 90s. The building that houses the Burger King, and other restaurants wasn't built until the late 90s, or early 2000s, if i'm not mistaken. For many years, it was just empty land on that spot. A local carnival used to set up shop on that land in the summer time for many years. Definite fond memories of Shoppers World Danforth.

[@robdoe8694]

I miss that old carnival! Inside, there was a comic book store that moved units. A video game kiosk, an independant video game store. The Cash Converters pawn shop was sketchy, but had neat stuff from time to time. Before it was converted to a mall it was a Ford automotive factory.

[@dashcan8479]

Nice to know you. I grew up there along the Danforth from 1962 to 1990. Its disgusting this guy is actually having the GAUL to call it Bangla Town. We need to file reports against him.

[@brianduffy1338]

If I recall correctly, some time in the 80's they renovated the central and more eastern portion of the mall. The shops on the wing with Dominion store (now Metro) and Black's camera shop and Music World never had indoor access and this remained the case even after the reno. Some shops on the east side expanded and moved location (eg: Zellers which took over the Eaton's space). Others left Shoppers World altogether because it was going to cost more to lease space. Additionally, some places gave over access from the indoors as it too was going to cost more, so their storefronts were all external entry and essentially isolated from the rest of the mall. Not many if any of these places (much less the indoor ones) survived. Even new ones Like Target did not make it. I am assuming the most recent endeavour (Lowe's) is still there. [Oops, should have waited to the end to comment. Seems that Lowes is gone too]. Even though a raft of other small businesses moved in after the reno, I will say it was never the same after that.

[@TeamLuka]

Shoppers World is one of those "converted" malls. Used to be fully accessible indoors, with all the stores entered into from inside. Now, they walled off the inside, made the backs of the stores a bit larger (by using the indoor floor walking spade) and most stores are accessed from storefronts from outside. (With the exception of that one little piece you went in with the half dozen or so units accessed indoors). Seen this done in many older one level malls. It cuts down on the insurance, the security, the maintenance of having indoor general space.

[@ihaveacomputer]

The Meadowvale Town Centre treatment! Feels like regression unfortunately.

[@ellenniemer2185]

Thanks for checking out Shopper's World, Johnny. It was the go-to mall when I was a kid and teenager growing up in that area. It definitely has seen better days. Music World, Zeller's and the 25 cent photo booth were its big attractions for me and my friends.

[@dashcan8479]

Wow Ellen you go back to "Music World?" Wow wow wow. You are from my generation then. Music World at the corner location was the in place to go. And you are right the inside had the eatery restaurant which had GOOD Food. Its a shame to see the area destroyed. Its destroyed.

[@ellenniemer2185]

@@dashcan8479 We won't say how long ago that was but it was back in the day! I used to buy 45s there. lol

[@JoveCana]

the photobooth!! Thank you thank you thank you for that lovely memory :)

[@FalcomScott312]

Cheers 🍻 for sharing these videos & have a great weekend, mate! 😎👍

[@azamyahmad]

Great job Jhonny and absolutely another beautiful sharing .. million thanks from Montreal QC ..

[@skinz316]

I remember back in the day shoppers world used to be a lot bigger in fact there used to be a self-serve restaurant right in the middle of the Mall Part I believe the name of it was the Garden Court but I could be wrong

[@dashcan8479]

Correct. Good to know you. I grew up along the Danforth At Main.

[@lennieaderdeen]

Thank you bro

[@dylanreynolds8264]

good morning everyone

[@ashfiabrar4394]

I live in Thunder Bay (Northwest Ontario) and my neighbourhood also has a (mini) mall just like this. They have Walmart and Metro as the anchor stores. Just like your Shoppers World, the mini-mall doesn’t have any signage. It just says Metro. But inside you have a cafe, a lottery shop and a couple of salons. Since 2018, they’ve been adding a few shops that can only be accessed outside, including a Dollarama. Your video (of Shoppers World) reminds me a whole lot about the mini mall in my neighbourhood.

[@brentsarazin6597]

Amazing area and I think the answer to how those furniture stores stay afloat is the number of high rise apartment buildings within a 3 mile radius of here.

[@MrRoostercrow]

I was told growing up that ancient oak trees around the parimiter of the mall were actually cut down to make room for more parking. Huge outrage actually.

[@MrCherbear1990]

That is actually the very first location of the Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada.

[@heleneinge3840]

Seriously?! So maybe the name does derive from the fact that it's in a 'Shoppers' world mall!

[@n.b.3521]

Yup! 😊

[@dashcan8479]

I dont think so buddy. Try Yonge Street at Carlton

[@paulblunt416]

Great job Johnny

[@tonyfox7510]

Shoppers World Mall is a skeleton of its former self. It was in its full glory in the 70’s and 80’s. Incidentally i read somewhere that the Shoppers Drug Mart first store store was named after Shoppers World.

[@michelvanderwall8710]

A great, dynamic district

[@fahmidafaiza4425]

Love from 🇧🇩

[@danieljaeger6712]

Enjoying the content

[@shawnattwells5355]

Oh if only it had been left the way it was back in the 70's and 80's. Now with Lowes gone, perhaps this could be a chance to convert it back, to something more open, to house more stores. You'll probably never get another big chain to fill that space, but at least it could be something close to what had once been. Who knows.

[@jenzopiano]

This part of Danforth reminds me of Queens NY

[@martym61]

Great video. Never would have known that there was a mall there. Wonder if they ever sell any of those wigs on the sidewalk.🤣

[@miltonhowe2556]

The west side of Victoria Park Avenue in the section you walked was not part of Toronto, rather it was East York, from the CN tracks up to Holland Avenue north of St. Claire Avenue East

[@JoveCana]

came here to corroborate that. I grew up in the area when it was formally part of East York. Was pretty sad to see a whole borough (apparently the last borough in Ontario) disappear when it was amalgamated into the City of Toronto in 1998. Felt weird that the world map of my child mind had just vanished.

[@jacquelines9966]

Good morning

[@rrain3375]

I have not been to that area of Scarborough for many years. But, I did live in the area for a brief time in 1971 in a house that backed onto the golf course just north of Victoria Park station. I am still in Scarborough in the Guildwood Village another great area.

[@EvelynSaungikar]

Easy home is furniture rental, so a bit different than the stores.

[@CobaltFoxPlays]

9:02 Nope, Shopper's Drug Mart is the anchor store. It's the first Shopper's Drug Mart in Canada and the mall's namesake. Then stores started opening around it. And it was Eatons, Kmart, Zellers, Target then Lowes. And I miss the Cash Converters there, the Bi-Way and the Bowling Alley a long time ago..

[@dashcan8479]

What years were you there?

[@JohnnyStrides]

The original anchor store was Eaton's. Shoppers is not listed as an anchor store and it's too small/insignificant for that distinction anyway.

[@torontoyardy]

Lol when I heard you said Shoppers World I thought it was the one at Brampton 😂😂😂

[@JoveCana]

this is the OG Shopper's World! Brampton's came after

[@calgary2800]

Feels like Brooklyn NY

[@pr0mptish]

i remember going to cash converters or some place you could buy used CD's here back in like 95. maybe a zellers where rona was. used to live at main and gerrard.

[@Shambles99]

Bills Fish and Chips baby

[@45kph]

It used to be zellers

[@josebeatorodriguez8267]

Que metropole,, waht city

[@nose10620]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Seventizz]

Such a shame - this used to be a nice area of town that had destination shops. No wonder Lowe's pulled out.

[@torontosfavoritepromoter7416]

Such a sketchy neighborhood. Glad you filmed during the day because it's not so nice after 9PM.

[@Nouvellecosse]

Shopper's World: A world in which every store is a Shopper's Drug Mart.

[@JoveCana]

😂😂

[@sep2383]

Very surprised how clean it is and not walking over bodies

[@WilhelmFreidrich]

Those bodies are a bit more west on Danforth. 💉💉💉

[@dashcan8479]

Why dont you and I meet "Johnny" at Main St. Subway station and I will show you where I grew up

[@dashcan8479]

Johnny. STOP referring this as Bangla Town. Its not Bangledesh at ALL. Its Taylor Creek and the Upper Beaches. We are not Bangledesh!

[@JohnnyStrides]

The stretch along Danforth is in fact Bangla Town. What I won't ever do is call The Beaches The Beach... or refer to Danforth as upper beaches ;p

[@reesilva1]

why have you not covered U of t little gaza protest

[@Squisky]

Not everyone has that much free time like you. Not everyone has to be interested in political issues either.

[@WilhelmFreidrich]

Israel did nothing wrong.

[@trinimungz]

I lived Just opposite the mall ,in the early 90s,@Trinimungz,upstairs a 2 for 1 pizza shop💯

[@ms.bossvlog6160]

My parents used to shop there in the late 70 and it was a nice community not any more due to Crescent Town.