I like this one a lot -- all of the neatly stacked boxes and the bold signs, the merchandise in the windows and the guy in red staring toward the street, the yellowish tinge on the sidewalk guy's jeans, the bold green and blue on the girl coming into the frame from the left -- all make for a very interesting photo. A very busy, fun shot!

economics 101: from this shot it would appear that the electronics business is outselling the sporting business by about 20 to 1. also, this picture demonstrates why toronto has a reputation for being a clean city- even the garbage is so neat and tidy. a very interesting and colourful shot,sam,well done.

You just visually defined the word 'trite' ... great photo!

Crazy image. This looks good in a image but I feel it is too much of a visual pollution. I don't understand why all these companies shout soo much. I guess that is what you do when you are competing with so many other companies.

Man, talk about a perfect example of rabid consumerism!

I wouldn't have noticed the biggest sign, "Downtown Electronics", unless I was specifically looking for that store.

An excellent reminder.

While it is a brilliant photo, it makes me uneasy. This scene is so messy, I don't think a could tolerate living there, or even walking there too often.

I agree with Kat. It looks uncomfortably busy, but as an image, it really works. It looks like a collage.

In advertising/marketing all the players are trying to help their clients (as the phrase goes) "cut through the clutter." This photo is a classic illustration of just how hard that is. And every time you do it and fail, you just add to the clutter.

I like it. I think it would have been even better if you could have gotten it without people.

i remember beeing there 1 month ago but the boxes were not.....

The block of Yonge St north of Dundas assaults your eyes and ears with alot of bombast but little substance. Its not Piccadily nor Times Square, but there's dozens of shops along the way and its hard to pick out anything unique. Strangely this photo is more interesting than the actual location... looks like a collage made from advertisement flyers. Nice pic.

Ouch!

The last time I was in Toronto, in 1985, this area was super depressing as I walked it the last night of 9 days I spent looking for a place to stay. Those were very favourable to landlord rent times and there was nothing a relatively poor person could find.

This makes me wonder if its improved at all since then even with the huge changes at Dundas. But garbage day can be a downer anywhere.

I enjoy your site and believe that you have some very strong work, unfortunatly this image does nothing for me. Technically it's well balanced and framed, but past that I feel nothing, and I think taking 10 steps to the left or right would produce an equally mundane image.

the amount of commotion outside on the pavement is amazing.

Hi, just visited your photoblog today and it just remind me the days when I was there for 3.5 years. what a memory ;-) keep posting TO images. very nice.

I used to work at this place (Downtown Electronics)....I now live in Rural Nebraska...The store, it hasn't changed much, but they used to pick up the trash in the rear of the building. What are the odds I would stumble on this blast from the past! Thanks for the pic!