While 2024 brought a host of innovative, imaginative and enticing new businesses to the Toronto landscape, it also, as most years do, saw a number of notable ventures close their doors for good.
From a long-running boutique that was neighbourhood staple, to a once-buzzed over concept that led to a drastically oversaturated market, these businesses gave the saying “too big to fail” a run for its money over the past year.
Here are some of the most notable Toronto businesses that closed their doors in 2024.
Presse Internationale on Bloor
If you haven’t spent much time around the Annex over the past two decades, this name might not mean much to you, but if you have, you’ll likely understand what a devestating blow the loss of this longstanding magazine store dealt.
After nearly 20 years in its Bloor West location, the business finally called it quits when a new landlord hiked their rent up by more than 50 per cent. I’d probably do the same, too.
Rollerpony
Opening Toronto’s largest indoor roller skating rink was an ambitous project to be sure, but in its almost one year in business, this Etobicoke spot managed to attract a cult following, providing a home base for the small-but-mighty roller skating community in Toronto.
Ultimately, though, the costs of operation were too high and the interest — particularly in summer months — a touch too low for the business to remain viable, so the team pulled out, opting instead to focus on their other business, nearby indoor obstacle course Pursuit OCR.
Blue Banana
As someone who, personally, has only ever strolled the aisles of this expansive Kensington Market gift shop and never actually bought anything, I can’t say that this store’s closure was a particular surprise, although it did mean the loss of one of the best spots to kill half an hour in the city.
The closure did come as a surprise, however, to a number of the independent vendors who sold their goods there, who tell blogTO they were given only a day’s notice to pack up their things and hit the road.
Bespoke Butchers
While vegans and vegeratians might disagree with the assertion that meat of any kind can be ethical, this business that once operated three locations across the city proudly hocked their ethical, sustainable, and hormone- and antibiotic-free quality meats before abruptly shutting down all three locations without warning in early 2024.
Prior to folding, the business also operated an outpost at St. Lawrence Market which similarly shuttered following the mass closure which, to this day, has gone unexplained.
Junction Fromagerie
After more than a decade of vending Canadian craft and artisinal cheeses to the good people of the Junction (plus more than a few who’d travel specifically to do their dairy shopping at the store), this quaint shop closed its doors as its owners opted to “prioritize” their other business.
The other business in question, Delight Chocolate, remains alive and well, churning out a selection of quality chocolates and other sweet treats right next door to the shuttered cheese shop.
Trap Mart
Oh how the mighty have fallen. It seems like just yesterday (but it was actually 2021) when so-called “exotic” candy and snack shops flooded the city with a vengance.
The novelty of being able to pick up a pack of chips with your favourite rapper’s face on them or a matcha-flavoured KitKat bar was fun, but it certainly wore off quickly, as evidenced by the short life cycle of this Queen West shop, alongside its contemporary and neighbour, Dank Mart.
Labour of Love
This Cabbagetown spot was more than just a boutique that sold a curated collection of goods from local vendors, it was a self-described “creative hub for cultural exchange,” hosting a number of events and community gatherings over its 20-year tenure.
All good things must come to an end, though, and this shop bid farewell to its many fans with an epic sendoff soiree in May.
Pew Pew
There was a time in Toronto when this Church and Wellesley indoor airsoft shooting range was a go-to spot for corporate events, birthday parties, bachelor(ette) parties, you name it.
The first of its kind in the city, and the only one to exist in downtown Toronto, it provided a space for eager attendees to have a truly unique night out experience, shooting various targets, or each other, for five years before owner Duncan Chan decided it was time to let the lease go.
Tulip Variety
Hidden within a flower shop, this Bloorcourt store offered a whole host of items and goods of a far higher quality than its variety store-insipred name might suggest.
For three years, the shop offered pantry staples and snacks alongside vintage clothing and vinyl, all sourced from local vendors, before ultimately shuttering at the beginning of the year.
Nu Bugel
It was death by a thousand cuts (or, more accurately, two,) for fans of this long-running Montreal-style bagel business that originated in Kensington Market this year, when the bakery’s Yonge and Eglinton outpost shuttered only to be quickly followed by its original location.
To this day, the business hasn’t offered an explanation for the sudden and quiet closure of both its locations, leaving Montreal bagel fans in Toronto to get their kicks elsewhere.
