Toronto now has a Star Wars store
Before he opened Toronto's only Star Wars store — a long time ago, but decidedly not in a galaxy far, far away — Mike Freeman was a kid watching The Empire Strikes Back in theatres.
Fast forward to 2023 and he's now the owner of the only store in Toronto (and possibly Canada) to exclusively sell Star Wars merch and memorabilia.
Humans and wookies alike can head to 202-A 276 Carlaw Ave. in Leslieville to find 4th Moon Toys — named after Yavin 4, the jungle moon that hosts the Rebel base in the original 1977 movie.
Freeman remembers being instantly hooked after watching Empire; his family spent many Saturday mornings playing VHS recordings of the original trilogy. He began his own collection in the 90s and recalls selling Canadian versions of Hasbro toys to diehard American fans.
About eight years ago, he started selling parts of his collection. Then, right before the pandemic, he trusted in the Force and decided to take it on full-time.
Initially, he operated out of a different unit at 276 Carlaw as an entirely e-commerce business. It wasn't until the last week of November 2023 that he opened 4th Moon Toys as a retail location.
The intricacies of Star Wars collecting
Getting an exact count of how much Star Wars stuff he's got in the store is hard, he tells me, because collectors divide the franchise into the vintage era (about 1977-85) and then everything else. In fact, he only started selling parts of his modern era collection recently.
Freeman has at least 200 sealed figures and dozens of ships from the modern era, plus about 50 sealed vintage figures with hundreds of loose additions. Despite the name, he's got far more than just toys — including trading cards, toothbrushes, records, colouring books, and more.
"Everyone who comes in here is a Star Wars fan or a family member of a Star Wars fan," he says. "They're looking to buy a gift. So it's fun to talk to people and find out what they collect."
One of his favourites is a sealed Boba Fett figure from 1980. He's also proud of the Canadian Star Wars items in his collection, featuring bilingual packaging.
When I put him on the spot, he says his top three movies are all from the original trilogy: Empire Strikes Back, A New Hope, and then Return of the Jedi.
"The beautiful thing about Star Wars, especially in the '77 to '85 period, is it was the first licensing thing to go big and to go crazy," Freeman says. "They're all really like their own time capsule of the late 70s or early 80s."
He also helps organize a convention every year in Oakville with the Ontario Star Wars Collectors' Alliance called May The North Be With You.
His rare Canadian merch isn't his only hometown connection to the galaxy of Ewoks and droids. The 2023 edition of the convention in August had panels on Nelvana — the Toronto studio that animated the infamous and rarely seen Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978.
Freeman wants 4th Moon Toys to become the premier Star Wars store in the city. He says he meets plenty of vintage toy collectors who are visiting the store from across Canada and the U.S.
"To me, it's important to have things for kids or for more casual fans," he says. "Just to make sure like everyone feels welcome coming here and can have their own Star Wars experience."
@4th_moon_toys
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