When they took down the iconic Honest Ed’s sign before demolishing the fabled discount department store, former employees gathered on the corner of Markham and Bloor to pay their respects. In speaking with them, I got the impression they liked their work and they liked their employer. More generally, I have the impression that the Ed Mirvish business empire never had to worry about succession planning in the same way that the fictional Waystar Royco had to worry about life after Logan. David Mirvish has proven himself equal to the challenge of assuming control of his father’s concerns.
The employees I spoke to had known Ed Mirvish and he had known them. In keeping with the hands-on tradition, David Mirvish appeared, walking down Bloor Street from Bathurst to watch with everyone else as the sign came down.
