When I moved to Toronto as a teenager, going to the Eaton Centre was a priority. I attended college in Willowdale (Don Mills and Finch) but I was drawn like a magnet to downtown. In my uber excitement of finding a store called Simpsons which was hiring, it never occurred to me that I was looking at a 90 min commute on the TTC. That’s the public transit system in Toronto (and to this day is inadequate) which for me was a 30 to 40 minute subway followed by a 40 to 50 minute bus ride.

I will never forget finding my way to the HR department of Simpson’s and them telling me on the spot that they had openings in ladies wear on the 6th floor. It was a huge area of ladies clothing and I was going to be a floor clerk. My new boss, Betty, a wonderful woman who took great passion in her work, showed me around. There were 7 of us in the department. 2 in the fitting rooms and there were 2 at least on the floor at any time. There was no Sunday shopping then.

Simpsons was a great store and I loved many aspects of it. In 1984 or 1985, Simpsons became The Bay (short for the Hudson’s Bay Company) and I was done college. A few of my colleagues from Ladies Wear were let go. Betty took an early retirement. The Bay was less formal and reduced the personal shopping experience to more”self help”. No more staff to assist you on the floor or in the fitting rooms.

Although it was a blow, it didn’t seem too bad a first. The Bay, after all, was one of Canada’s original trading posts back in the day. It had survived a lot over the years.

One things for sure, The Bay in downtown Toronto was an iconic landmark and one of the last to convert from Simpsons. The Arcadian Court hosted many dignitaries and posh clients while the seasonal decor (especially Christmas) was a sight to behold. No road trip to Toronto was complete without an excursion to The Bay.

Today I read that The Bay was seeking bankruptcy protection. They will likely close all 80 stores. I’m so sad to hear this news. And I hope there’s something of this legacy to salvage.

For the past few weeks we have been inundated with trade wars amongst our close ally and trading partner, namely, the 🇺🇸 USA. There’s been a surge of buy local and other “team Canada” rhetoric. It makes me chuckle to think of the Starbucks franchisee that has to spin it somehow. Is a Starbucks considered Canadian if the franchisee is? It is a pretty messy request to “buy Canadian” given the very blurry lines of commerce and trade.

Which brings me to The Bay. Team (economic) Canada couldn’t save it?! I read with such dismay, some of the online comments. Some speculating on the reasons for the failure of the business:

• The managers were too greedy
• The pricing was high (compared to Walmart)
• No one shops in person anymore

There were plenty of others but I was stunned. The Team Canada folk are apparently fickle. They would rather support Amazon or Walmart for price and convenience. Isn’t it worth a higher price and inconvenient location to support Canada 🇨🇦?? I guess not.

I will forever have fond memories of The Bay and the people I worked with over the years and 3 different locations.

So long, old friend.