TORONTO – Honest Ed’s has apparently become a target for dishonest souvenir-hunters.
The landmark emporium is well-known for its signature hand-painted signs advertising various bargains and kooky slogans, but thieves have left conspicuous blank spots after making off with two signs over the long weekend.
General Manager Russell Lazar says the signs, valued at approximately $500, disappeared in separate incidents in recent days.
The larger of the two – a four-foot by five-foot placard reading “This is the place!” – vanished on Sunday night or sometime Monday, Lazar says.
The other, a smaller sign advertising specials on milk and other groceries, was taken on Saturday.
“It certainly is distressing,” he told Global News. “We don’t want more signs being taken off the exterior. We certainly trust people to leave them out there.”
Lazar estimates that the larger sign also stood about eight feet from the ground, requiring use of a ladder to reach.
READ MORE: Hundreds line up for Honest Ed’s sign sale
The Honest Ed’s signs have become a hot commodity since the store announced its impending closure in December 2016. The store has held two separate sales, attracting huge crowds and the selling off of 10,000 old signs.
“We will have another sale next year, but I guess maybe they were a Thanksgiving gift for somebody,” Lazar said.
Regardless, Lazar hopes whoever took the signs might turn honest themselves.
“It’d be nice if you brought it back!” he said. “We’d be happy just to have it back and someone else who wants it and is willing to pay for it to have it, but just to take it, we don’t think is right.”
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