Doorman known as ‘Mayor of Bloor Street’ passes away

For over 21 years, Tom Hargitai greeted celebrities and regular customers outside of Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street.

His grandson, Daniel Nemes, said it was a job he loved dearly.

But back in 2011, Hargitai was let go. The company never explained why, despite hundreds protesting the move online.

“When he finished working at Holts, a lot of people were like what’s going on, where did he go? He was called the Mayor of Bloor Street. That’s no small feat to have your slice of a city pretty much,” said Nemes.

Nemes said his grandfather was devastated to lose his job, but commented Hargiati had a fulfilling career.

Before working at Holt Renfrew, he owned and operated an ice cream store in Montreal in the 1980s.

But after he was let go from the department store, Hargitai was uncertain what to do.

Eventually, he moved to Hungary with his wife to retire.

Recently, he was diagnosed with cancer and things took a turn for the worse. He passed away at the age of 65.

Daniel posted the news online and all these years later, people still remember the iconic doorman.

Reddit user @nerdwatcher wrote, “I worked at Holt Renfrew with him just before he was let go. Nice guy unfortunate. Thanks for posting.”

Another commented, “I was thinking about him last week. So sorry to hear this. He made walking through those doors a lovely experience. Was sad when he was no longer there.”

Tom Hargitai is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.