Shoppers are sharing eerie photos of last day at landmark Toronto Hudson's Bay store

The Hudson's Bay Company as we knew it is officially dead and gone after a monumental 355 years, marking a deeply sorrowful moment for Canadians everywhere.

This weekend marked the final days for residents to shop at any of the department store's dozens of locations across Canada, which have now permanently shuttered after a few weeks of liquidation sales that ended Sunday, June 1.

While the chain had a hand in shaping our national identity with its decades of history, and was ubiquitous in shopping malls and plazas nationwide — with upwards of 80 locations, even post-COVID — it proved no match for the economic downturn of the last few years, which has progressed to the point of recession.

A high cost of living, lower consumer confidence and spending, shift to e-commerce and sudden death of the traditional shopping mall, especially in the Toronto area, were just some of the factors that forced the brand to file for creditor protection in March.

The news came as a shock, but perhaps not the biggest surprise if most of us really reflect on the last time we bought something, or even stepped foot in, our local Hudson's Bay.

Before Hudson's Bay shuts its doors, I went to all eight of its Toronto store in one day
byu/dashcam_drivein intoronto

The Bay's stock across departments started emptying out quite soon after the initial announcement of its struggles and forthcoming demise, with customers flocking to say their goodbyes while also taking advantage of the retailer's blowout closing sales (with particular interest in anything from the HBC Stripes collection).

But, those somewhat depressing early days of bare shelves and dishevelled displays were nothing compared to the stores' final hours, which many are now taking to social media to share.

Albums showing the last days of the flagship downtown Toronto store abound on platforms like Reddit, with unsettlingly blank mannequins left contemplating a barren sea of floor space across the location's hundreds of thousands of square feet.

RIP Hudson's Bay
byu/Assmoney intoronto

One local who posted their collection of striking images from the scene (u/Assmoney) shared more about their experience with blogTO, telling us they "felt a deep sadness" as they walked the vacant floors and snapped photos.

"I've been shopping there my entire life, and to see it picked over and virtually empty really put into perspective how tough the retail landscape is in Canada," they said.

They added that they are interested to see what Canadian Tire, which purchased The Bay's branding for $30 million in May, does with its iconic Stripes, but admitted that it "will ultimately only serve as a reminder of the tumultuous fall of HBC."

A piece of my childhood is now gone
byu/youareabitchass intoronto

Another customer who shared their impressions, u/EquinoxClock, also felt taken aback by the lack of merchandise left during their visit this weekend, telling blogTO they only spotted a few items here and there among the disquieting, stripped fixtures.

"Apart from people buying jewellery, which was the most crowded section of the store, most of the people there were just there to experience the final moments and take photos," they said. "There were also many employees hugging and saying goodbye."

RIP Hudson's Bay Company, 1670 - 2025
byu/EquinoxClock intoronto

Still others contemplated the life milestones of theirs that the Bay was part of, like u/Headphone97, who went out of their way to document the Toronto store in the Eaton Centre over the weeks leading up to the closure.

"For myself, the Bay was a place that seemed aspirational when I first visited, and later moved to, Toronto," they told us over direct message.

"It was where I got a shirt, last minute, to prepare for a major job interview. It was where I purchased a blazer that I wore all over the world when giving presentations. It was a place where I often longed to purchase overly expensive, but particularly stylish, housewares. And, more substantially, it was just always there — it was a part of Canada and a part of Toronto."

Shopper and photographer Saishi Xu, who shared some of the most powerful and evocative black-and-white images of disused mannequins haphazardly populating the Bay's formerly bustling spaces (as the one shown in the lead photo), wrote that "it barely felt real hearing that it was closing given that it was once such an important part of Canada's heritage."

"I didn't visit the store since until this last day. What was once an institution to us Canadians is now a liminal space, and I can't help but feel that we all lost something with its demise. Like an armless mannequin on its back, we're powerless against this change, and the future feels uncertain."

All Sales Final
byu/Headphone97 intoronto

As some of the now-empty commercial buildings once occupied by the Bay are eyed for transformation by new tenants, more than 8,000 of its former employees will also be looking for new jobs, with June 1 marking their final day of working for the defunct company.