Toronto Guide
Toronto
The Eaton Centre
Opening time: Mon– Sat 9.30am–9.30pm, Sun 11am–7pm
Beginning on the north side of Queen Street W, the Eaton Centre is a three-storey assortment of shops and restaurants that spreads out underneath a glass-and-steel arched roof. By shopping-mall standards, the design is appealing and the flock of fibreglass Canada geese suspended from the ceiling adds a touch of flair. Maps of the shopping mall are displayed on every floor, but the general rule is the higher the floor, the more expensive the shop. The centre takes its name from Timothy Eaton, an Ulster immigrant who opened his first store here in 1869. His cash-only, fixed-price, money-back-guarantee trading revolutionized the Canadian market and made him a fortune. Soon a Canadian institution, Eaton kept a grip on the pioneer settlements in the west through his mail-order catalogue, known as the "homesteader's bible" – or the "wish book" among aboriginal peoples – whilst Eaton department stores sprang up in all of Canada's big cities. In recent years, however, the company has struggled to maintain its profitability and the branch here in the Eaton Centre has been taken over by Sears.