Sony is leaving Canada in the retail store market.

So when it rains it pours- on top of a crappy day at work, I came across the news that Sony is now closing ALL of its Canadian retail locations (image from flickr Tommaso Galli)

This means that this little gem that was the last remaining hope for me will now disappear from the WEM location. I am just choked over this- I absolutely looked forward to coming to this side of the mall and seeing all the wonderful gadgetry inside.

Back when it used to be called Sony Style (after Sony Store) I remember finding all kinds of things here in the south location (there used to be TWO stores in WEM). I remember them saying that people bought stuff in the south location and perused in the north location (where most tourists went).

I mean it wasn’t even that long ago that I was at the store doing my boxing day excitement. The really intersting part that I read today was that Sony is in North America because of some Canadian brothers who bought distributing rights to Sony products all the way over in Winnipeg Manitoba of all places- they ended up owning a fifty percent stake in Sony Canada until Sony Japan bought them out nearly 40 years later. That is so so so cool and brings a nice Canadian twist to this former giant. It doesn’t help with my sadness though.

I remember when the Southgate location opened. I was absolutely floored. This was just when I was mid high school and seeing my favorite brand in the flesh at my usual mall. The Southgate location was just super exciting and then it was gone. I remember looking through the glass at all the cool stuff I wanted.

I don’t know where this location is from- this was the ambient lighting for some time inside before they went with the bright white lighting. I remember shopping for the T series VAIOs and gushing at how small they were. I also remember getting my DCR-DVD7 Handycam- that’s how vivid my fanboyism is- I can remember the white balance in the ambient lighting at my product shopping.

This location in Southgate really really made my entire adolescence happen- seriously this is where I remember my teenage life. I was choked when it closed but I knew I had the Kingsway and WEM location and there was the random South Ed Common location that I never went to.

Good bye. So in review- I really really am choked- theres a lot of stuff that was only in the Sony Store like their mobile accessories, and havign everything hands on was really awesome. I always loved the design of the stores and it would evoke emotion in me- I could jsut feel the excitement being in there. Most importantly, I have huge memories from these stores and now I will no longer be able to make new memories. This is like the VAIO brand being sold off last year but maybe a little worse (not totally worst because VAIO selling off absolutely killed me). (images from Yelp)

So while I am coping with the Sony store loss, I walk by and the Science Shop is closing. Not as traumatic, but still pretty sad- I remember flockign to this store when I was new to the city and loving all the little bits inside. Its a tough tough retail market out thre.

So I cope by eating Burger King with my wife and she’s a generous buffer zone to the emotional roller coaster I am experiencing.

10 nuggets for 1.79 right now. That doesn’t make me feel better but its nice. And the whopper is a good burger. Feels like a real hamburger. The restaurant was really dead inside though- looks creepily like a place that might close too.

One find of the day was a discount Papo toy plesiosaur. This kind of helped my store closing pain. What a sad Thursday. Oh and there’s lots of talk of Sony selling its mobile division. I remember laughing off rumors of it selling its VAIO division. I’m not laughing now. I don’t know what I would do if they sold off their mobile division. HTC would be my next choice for sure, but they aren’t looking so hot these days either. I just don’t have that emotional feel to other brands like I do with Sony. Its weird because Sony totally stole me away from my used to be fave Nikon. Its always beena fave of mine since my first Discman in Grade 7. While the brand has come and gone, its been in my heart forever. I can seriously distinguish different developmental stages of my life based off product launches on Sony’s time frame. SO MUCH PAIN.