Landmark Sam the Record Man sign on the rise again in downtown Toronto
TORONTO — A giant neon sign that once drew visitors to Toronto’s landmark Sam the Record Man store is rising again and will soon light up a busy downtown hub in the city.
The sign, composed of two enormous spinning discs on a red background, used to adorn the Yonge Street business owned by Sam Sniderman, who was a major promoter of Canadian music.
The store received heritage status from Toronto in 2007, when it closed, to preserve the cultural value of the sign.
Ryerson University, which is located nearby, purchased the store property one year later and initially planned to showcase the iconic sign on a new building planned for the site. It later decided it would place the sign two blocks away and began restoring it in June.