{"id":6408,"date":"2025-12-19T10:09:28","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/?p=6408"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:24:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:24:15","slug":"honest-ed-how-an-immigrants-son-lit-up-toronto-or-the-story-of-23000-bulbs-free-turkeys-and-saving-the-theatre-arts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toronto1.one\/en\/eternal\/honest-ed-how-an-immigrants-son-lit-up-toronto-or-the-story-of-23000-bulbs-free-turkeys-and-saving-the-theatre-arts-6408","title":{"rendered":"Honest Ed: How an Immigrant\u2019s Son Lit Up Toronto, or the Story of 23,000 Bulbs, Free Turkeys, and Saving the Theatre Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you ask Toronto old-timers what represents the city to them, many won\u2019t point to the CN Tower. They\u2019ll recall the dazzling shimmer of 23,000 light bulbs at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst. They\u2019ll remember the labyrinth of shelves where you could buy socks for a dollar, an antique vase, and a tin of tuna without leaving the same room. They\u2019ll remember \u201cHonest Ed\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But behind the neon facade and loud slogans lay the story of a man who changed the city\u2019s DNA. Edwin \u201cHonest Ed\u201d Mirvish was a paradox: he built an empire selling cheap kitsch to spend millions on elite art. The success story of a poor boy from Virginia who taught a cold Canadian city how to smile is told on the pages of toronto1.one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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