In my grade 5 days, my favourite outfit was my fluorescent orange tracksuit from the BiWay at Cloverdale Mall. I loved going to that BiWay with my mom, where you had to descend a steep set of stairs to explore the discounts. The store was an adventure in itself. The fluorescent trend had long faded by 2001 when the BiWay chain went bankrupt, leading to the closure of its last 250 stores. Fast forward to 2018, and there was surprising news of BiWay making a comeback. Mal Coven, the original founder, planned to open a new store at Orfus and Dufferin Roads in Toronto, set for August 2020.
This comeback clearly struck a nostalgic chord with many, generating much excitement at the announcement of the concept based on $10. Items would be purchased in multiples—five for $10, four for $10, three for $10, two for $10, or one for $10. Nothing would be sold for more than $10. The new BiWay $10 Store was intended to be the first of five BiWay stores to open in Toronto.
However, the store didn’t open as planned. In October 2020, Mal Coven passed away at 91, pushing the reopening to November 2020. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen either. Since October 7, 2020, there’ve been no updates on BiWay’s Instagram, making it seem unlikely that BiWay will reopen in Toronto.
BiWay didn’t fade completely from memory for those who live in Toronto’s west end. On Lake Shore just west of Islington in south Etobicoke was Biway Zone, a family-run discount shop looking just like the beloved BiWay of our 80s memories. That’s because, it used to be one. Anil Chopra took it over in 2000 just as the chain filed for bankrupcy, This store at 2950 Lake Shore was restocked and renamed Biway Zone to distance itself, slightly, from the familiar BiWay brand. So this store wasn’t an official BiWay outpost, but it used to be.
It had announced it was closing to make way for a new condo development during the pandemic, but hung on for awhile. There were shoppers posting their sausage and mustard potato chip purchases in late 2022.
The store finally wrapped up operations permanently this year, and with the closure of Biway Zone in 2023, the final Biway door has quietly closed. The paper-clad windows and the “For Sale” sign signal the end of an era, just leaving us with memories of those black BiWay bags and deeply discounted 80s fashion finds.
A bonus for reading this far… this commercial will bring it all back to you!