Author Cam Gordon will co-lead a free historical walk in Toronto on Wednesday, July 8, celebrating the cultural significance of three iconic but now-shuttered stores: Sam the Record Man, HMV, and the World's Biggest Bookstore. The walk, which begins at 7 p.m. outside 10 Edward St. near Yonge and Dundas, aims to preserve the memory of these landmarks that once defined Toronto's music and book retail scene.
Personal Connections to HMV
Gordon, 48, recalls a memorable 2001 encounter at HMV on Yonge Street when he met Joe Strummer, frontman of The Clash. “I got my copy of London Calling signed,” said Gordon, author of the 2026 book Track Changes: The Origin Story of Canadian Music on the Internet (1990–2010). “But I didn’t realize he’s not a tall man and I’m 6-foot-5. And I have a photo of the two of us together … Oh my God, one of my music idols.”
The Stores and Their Legacy
Sam the Record Man operated on Yonge Street from 1959 to 2007, HMV from 1991 to 2017, and the World's Biggest Bookstore—a 70,000-square-foot space on Edward Street—from 1980 to 2014. These stores hosted numerous celebrities: HMV welcomed Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy, Kanye West, Anthrax, and Motley Crue, while the World's Biggest Bookstore featured Canadian authors Pierre Berton, Margaret Atwood, Farley Mowat, Robert Bateman, and Robert Munsch. Sam the Record Man was known for promoting Canadian artists like Barenaked Ladies and The Pursuit of Happiness, and even appeared in the 1970 Canadian film Goin' Down the Road.
Places to Gather Before the Internet
“These were places to gather before the internet if you wanted to be around music fans, or book fans, or fans of journalism,” Gordon said. “Short of maybe the library, there weren’t that many places you could go. So all three of these places you could also just go and kind of hang out and look at some CDs and maybe flip through a few books or magazines.” He added that the stores “functioned as public spaces,” where staff allowed customers to browse freely.
Gordon, who grew up in suburban Thornhill, Ontario, spent countless hours in these stores during the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I was at those stores multiple times probably every month, one way or another, if not all three,” he said. HMV’s listening stations, introduced in 1995, were particularly formative for his music education.
Walk Details and Future Plans
The walk, co-led by local historian Jeremy Hopkin, is expected to attract music fans, former store employees, and history enthusiasts. Gordon hopes to organize more such tours, including a potential Canadian music video locations walk. “Stay tuned,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this is not the last time we do something similar.”
