Grey Region Toronto - Dead?

[Steel_Wind]

While I was going to school at the St. George campus in Toronto, there was this hobby store on the 2nd floor (real small) run by this older woman that was like right across the street from the St. George campus....Is it still there?

You are thinking of The Worldhouse. It was once Toronto's premiere gaming store. It opened in 1982. For years it was successful on Bloor near Bathurst and later was extremely successful when it was on Spadina near Harbord. When RPGs were at their height - the Worldhouse was the schizznit.

It never really survived the move to College and Bev. That and the lack of the owner's significant interest in CCGs pretty much killed it. It closed in 2000.

Hairy T has three locations now. Hairy T and 401 Games remain the main stores in Toronto itself. The Comic Book Warehouse in Brampton (2 locations) is the best store in the burbs (and in many respects, probably is the best store in the GTA, to be honest).

There are other stores. One on Yonge north of 401 and Sheppard does a brisk boardgame, CCG, CMG and, to a lesser extent, RPG business. There is another out in the Dufferin Bloor area -- big into CMGs and CCGs. They have a large organized play setup there.

401 Games has the best prices, but their RPG selection (if you are not a WotC fan) is a little iffy. Great boardgame, CCG and CMG selection at 401 Games though.

Often overlooked in all of these discussions is Crossed Swords on Annette (near Jane and Bloor). For wargames, miniatures and miniature terrain Crossed Swords remains one of the premiere historical miniature stores in the world. Their RPG stock changes over the years and has its ups and downs. It's acceptable, but RPG books have never been their focus. Even if you don't paint minis, their terrain and building models are a VERY good reason to go there. Seriously, there are few stores in the world that can compete with Crossed Swords in its niche. You won't come close to finding Crossed Swords selection at even Origins or Gencon -- in the dealer room or outside of it, for that matter.

Unlike the experience in America, the FLGS in Canada has remained a relatively secure business model. Internet based sales knocked out most of the FLGS's in many American cities, but internet retailers don't enjoy that huge competitive price advantage in Canada due to much higher shipping costs and imposition of sales taxes by CCRA.

 

[BigWeather]

This Hairy T won't let people yap on cell phones in the store? Is this a common restriction? I'm tempted to find a way to get up there and patronize the store based on this alone.

This thread has been useful -- likely visiting Toronto in the summer and I'd love to visit some of the FLGS up there.

 

[Steel_Wind]

This Hairy T won't let people yap on cell phones in the store? Is this a common restriction? I'm tempted to find a way to get up there and patronize the store based on this alone.

This thread has been useful -- likely visiting Toronto in the summer and I'd love to visit some of the FLGS up there.

No. It's an unusual restriction based upon Leon's (the owner) view that cellphone usage is dangerous to one's health.

The owner of Hairy Tarantula is a little aggressive in his political stances. A while back, he was charging a $1.00 premium for WotC CMG boosters too - and donated the extra $$ to a Chinese dissident political cause too. He objected to the slave labour that WotC uses to paint their minis and was a little upset at the Chinese Gov's suppression of Falun Gong. Man puts his money where his mouth is though - and I respect that.

Main Hairy T on Yonge St. near Dundas is an interesting store. It's hard to find, dingy as hell on the way up the stairs and a little grubby inside too. If you ever read Ill Met in Lankhmar? Remember the Gray Mouser's dingy apartment that was covered up with fabrics to hide the fact that the wooden structure underneath might fall down? That's sort of the feel that Hairy T on Yonge has

I've been there a few hundred times, at least, and I STILL miss the doorway up. It's across the street from The Zanzibar - one of the remaining strip clubs on the Yonge St. strip.

Despite the over-the-top comments, it's actually not in a shady part of town. It's a block north of Yonge and Dundas - Canada's Time Square.

 

[Maldin]

I remember visiting Worldhouse on my lunch hours in '82 and chatting with Cheryl and Alex. It was a pretty cool store, and a great atmosphere. I only worked in Toronto that one summer, and only had a chance to visit it one or twice more in the following decade. Was sad to hear that it shut down quite some time ago.

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Latest update: a layered PDF map of Greyhawk's Underdark

 

[AllisterH]

There _WAS_ a relatively decent sized hobby store in Brampton on Steeles (think it was just past Dixie) but it closed down a few years ago (I didn't even know when it closed)

Interestingly , it was right next door to a GW/miniatures shop and yet the miniatures shop is still going strong....Says something about the GW business model I guess.

The WORLDHOUSE...as soon as you said the name, it came back....I remember going to it every Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) when TSR used to pump out a new product every week (which is why I find claims of WOTC in the 3e/4e era of producing so much stuff laughable....I remember browsing new TSR stuff EVERY WEEK instead of every month).

 

[BigWeather]

(great information about the Hairy T)

That sounds great! Kind of reminds me of a now-closed Chapel Hill FLGS Cerebral Hobbies. Through a small foyer, down a spiral staircase, and off of an interior courtyard.

While I don't necessarily buy into the health consequences of cell phone usage (not yet, anyhow), I like the policy just from a politeness standpoint. I get irked when I'm out eating, or at the movies, or trying to play a game and someone the next table over is yapping it up loudly on their cell. I know, I know -- it is the person's, not the cell phone's, fault -- but you can't go banning all people from a store because some of them may be rude.

Thank you for the information on the Hairy T and particularly the location -- I'm going to try and find it this summer if I make my way up there.

 

[Steel_Wind]

There _WAS_ a relatively decent sized hobby store in Brampton on Steeles (think it was just past Dixie) but it closed down a few years ago (I didn't even know when it closed)

No, it's still there. You are thinking of The Comic Warehouse. As mentioned above, it has another location in the Bramalea City Centre shopping mall (though their mall location tends to more geeky toys, posters, manga and minis and less RPGs) and the main store - which is on Steeles. They have about 5,000 sq. feet of space in the main store and it has its own adjoining cafeteria (the Comic Cafe) where the organized play stuff goes on. I used to live in Brampton and went there often - but it's been years since I was back. I live 60km away in the east end of Toronto now, so the downtown stores are much easier for me to get to. It is still very much in business though, and you may well find it worth the trip.

Almost all of the guys in my gaming circle still live in Brampton though - and they assure me it's better than ever.

The WORLDHOUSE...as soon as you said the name, it came back....I remember going to it every Thursday (or was it Wednesday?) when TSR used to pump out a new product every week (which is why I find claims of WOTC in the 3e/4e era of producing so much stuff laughable....I remember browsing new TSR stuff EVERY WEEK instead of every month).

Yeah - I remember those days very well myself. It was so long ago that I remember talking to Cheryl and waiting for the boxes to be opened up so I could get my BRAND NEW copy of DL6 - Dragons of Ice. That's going back in time now, isn't it? *sigh* You and I probably bumped into one another there over the years

When the Pandemonium convention auction was still on ( for the first time in 30 years, Pandemonium was not held last year and looks like the Con is dead this year, too) most of the RPG stuff that came up for sale half the time still had an old Worldhouse price tag on the back cover. The Worldhouse did a LOT of business back-in-the day.

As for the Grey Region, they were located in an area of town where the rent is pretty high. The Yonge/Wellesley area in the Gay Village has higher rent and that rent whittled down a collection of "geeky" stores nearby over the past seven years or so. There were two used bookstores, a PC game software store and Bakka books - a Sci Fi specialty store with a long tradition in the city which was relocated near there for a time. So the area was its own "point of destination"

Point is - you used to be able to go there and have 3 or 4 stores nearby that catered to the geek demographic. As those stores closed - there was little reason to go to Grey Region. They had a large used book selection for OOP stuff - which was nice. But their prices were very high for that stuff. Ultimately, I imagine that eBay killed their business for those products. Combine it with the death of geek businesses around it -- and that explains why they are closed. Can't say as I will miss them much. The staff there was not terribly friendly. They had a very good metal mini selection though, I'll give them that.

 

[Thondor]

The Grey Region at Square One in Mississauga is still there but it's focus is not on RPG material. The selection isn't very good and prices are inflated. It's more a comic book and comic book paraphernalia store.

The best hobby store in the GTA is, without a doubt, the Hobby Kingdom in Burlington: Hobby Kingdom

Without a doubt, the most fan-focused hobby store in the history of gaming.

I've been to every store mentioned so far in this thread (besides Crossed Swords, and Worldhouse-before my time in Toronto), and while I have some very positive things to say about Hobby Kingdom - cool website, open and well organized and amazing looking gaming rooms (were talking board-room quality) I found there RPG selection . . . lacking.

I feel obliged to mention that Hairy Tarantula has just opened a third store, at Younge and Steeles. The Official Hairy Tarantula Web Page I've only been to the downtown location so far.

I was sad to see Grey Region go, especially as I'm going to Ryerson now (and starting to get into the OSR). Place never seemed to live up to its potential.

 

[Thondor]

There is a small place out in the 'Shwa called World's Collide. Not bad and a good alternative to WyldeStar which is going downhill since the move to East Oshawa

Hmmm, can't seem to find WyldeStar online, except a phone number that is no longer in service (maybe the old location?). Anyone got any info?

 

[evildm]

Hmmm, can't seem to find WyldeStar online, except a phone number that is no longer in service (maybe the old location?). Anyone got any info?

It's on Simcoe, between Bond and King. If you're looking for old stuff, it's pretty good for that. Anything newer and you're better off with Worlds Collide up the street or going into the city for the other mentioned stores (I highly recommend Hairy T).