Tip Top Tailors Ghost Signs

The Tip Top Tailors ghost signs are located at 260 Richmond St W (just west of John St) in the Entertainment District of Toronto.

On the west side of the building, there are actually two ghost signs advertising Tip Top Tailors, with one overlapping the other. An ad published in the Globe newspaper in 1926 features the building, displaying a hand-painted sign that reads “Home of Tip Top Tailors – Suits & O’Coats Always One Price – To Measure.” This sign is written in a light-coloured font against a dark background. The newspaper ad also noted that customers could “choose any pattern, weave, or shade of cloth they like, tailored to fit them in any style they want, all for a standard price of $24.” This building is unique because it has ghost signs on both its west façade (Tip Top Tailors) and its east façade (Acme Carbon & Ribbon Company Limited).

Tip Top Tailors is a men’s clothing company that was founded in 1909 by David Dunkelman, a Polish-Jewish immigrant. Between 1914 and 1915, the company constructed this World War I-era industrial building, designed by architect Isadore Feldman, to serve as a warehouse for Tip Top Tailors. In 1924, an addition to the building was designed by architects Kaplan & Sprachman. In 1929, the company relocated to 637 Lake Shore Blvd W, and currently, Tip Top Tailors operates more than 90 locations across Canada.

Today, the heritage-designated building at 260 Richmond St W is home to Bell Media.