Tom’s Place

Tom’s Place is not a journey, it’s a destination. I’ve been going there for years now and the store has gone through a lot of changes since the early days.
There’s two parts to Tom’s Place, the bargain stuff and the good stuff. Now that’s not to say the bargain stuff isn’t good. Often times it’s very good especially if you don’t mind a cheaper suit. The salesmen are hit and miss. Some know their stuff, some are a little less able but they all seem willing to help you find what you need.
The good stuff you’re going to pay for but here’s the secret. It’s going to be a LOT cheaper than if you go to Harry Rosen. The same suit can cost you twice or even three times more at Harry’s.
Then at the end of it all you’re cashed out by Tom himself who makes every final sale personal. Typically he’ll knock some off the price and if you buy enough he’ll throw in a shirt or two for free on top of the discount he gave you on everything else.
The only suits I buy are from Tom’s Place and I’ve never had a bad experience there.

very good selection. knowledgeable salespeople. bought Canadian made suit. excellent quality. they know what they’re doing. you don’t buy a suit every day so be prepared to shell out a bit more for quality. the only thing negative is store layout. not accessible at all.

Tom’s place has a really extensive amount of suits. The prices are probably a little more than they should be but I feel like they are fair, competitive price. I do not feel like they are ripping you off. I have a decent knowledge about suit quality, fit and price so I did not need much help from anyone that worked there. The person that worked with me did not pressure me into buying something I did not want or need. He was nice and knowledgeable.
The only thing I felt he could have done better would be asking more questions about what types of suits I wear, where I wear suits, personality and what other suits and clothes I have. I feel like this would help them make suggestions on other suits, shirts, ties, ect.
My only real critique and why I am giving a four instead of five star is that after I purchased my suit, they left and walked away from me even though I had some questions about other suits they sell. They should have at least asked me if I had anything else I needed help with and if I didn’t, then leave me. This would complete the full experience of buying clothing. Despite this, I would definitely go back for future clothing needs.

I have to write a review about this place because it was soo good. I came in here from a recommendation from my cousin. After checking out stores like tip top, moores, sarar and harry rosen. I went with Tom’s.
Harry Rosen — suits are awesome, service is exquisite but price was waay too high for my budget. The suit that I really really liked was $ 2000, on sale. Next time.
Sarar– not bad suits but didn’t find the sale price still the best. but not bad material. Their selection is different as well. More for the modern slim, skinny guy.
Tip top, moores — meh quality and meh material. Their clothes are starting to become like International Clothiers.
Tom’s Place:
First off, when I go suit shopping, I like to scour the racks and find a whack of them and then try them all on.
When I walked in to Tom’s, I started to walk by the front staff because I wanted to scour first. I then saw how big it was and knew that I would need help. I was greeted by a nice gentleman who looked like something straight out of the goodfellas. He greeted me, shook my hand, and asked me right away what I was looking for and how much my budget was. I told him looking for 2 suits and a blazer, budget — 800 — 1000. Told him I also saw the sale.
He said right away, «some of those suits you may or may not like as they are clearance. so some will work and some won’t. Just letting you know.» He explained it to me in a way that made me feel like giving it a shot but not pressured to go the higher route as well. He then got a sales associate by the name of Walter who was amazing to help me.
Walter asked me what types of colors I was looking for and showed me where to find my sizes and I scoured. I wanted something different then the usual black and grey. He then had me try on jackets and pants separate and always was very attentive. After a few yes’s and no’s and maybes, we narrowed it down. Then I said let’s look for a different color. He came back with a few more at my pricepoint and I tried them on. Walter was so attentive and always came back with exactly what I wanted. I asked for a checked grey and solid grey and he came back with 3 nice ones. I took a look at others that might be decent but they didn’t work. The guy knew his suits.
I was looking at some of the higher priced suits as well that weren’t on sale and I really didn’t find any colors I liked. When I buy a suit, I look at the color, the material and the fit and the price.
After trying on a dozen suits, we went and looked at blazers as well. Not once did I feel pressured at all. He never tried to push me on a high price suit either. I asked him to bring me one and he did but I didn’t even like it.
I even found a blue pinstripe suit which I was really hunting for, for a really good price.
Finally after an hour and a half, I narrowed it down to 3 suits, a blazer and a shirt.
When it came to pricing, I was thinking to myself ok let’s see how much this will set me back.
Tom Sr. came in, did a price adjustment on the suits, even the blue pinstripe as that was 450 and he brought it down to 300. It was definitely a $ 700 suit. I saw the same suit at the bay for that much.
I took my time because I was still leary about the price point and the blazer. They even told me, don’t feel pressured that just because we tell you it looks good, you have to get it. It’s your decision and your money. For him to say that made my day and my experience.
I feel like I could have negotiated a bit more but In the end I feel like I got an amazing deal with a great experience.
Keep in mind alterations are extra however they are standard prices.
I would hands down go back here again. Expect to spend a few hours though depending on what you want. I would definitely recommend people to go here for their suit needs. You have to spend some time shopping around their for the material and style you want but it’s worth it. I’m going back to pick up 1 this weekend and will also take a look at some shirts and pocket squares. This place is definitely a gem.

I’ve been a few times, bargain hunting, and some of those have been awkward because of the sales style they employ, but I’ve successfully found some good quality and reasonably priced pieces. If you go in uninformed and are a bit meek, I’m sure you could end up with a not so good experience, so some advice based on my own:
1. Know what you’re doing and looking for when you go in. Bring someone with you if possible. It’s a high pressure sales environment, having someone skeptical by your side as a second pair of eyes can help.
2. Don’t buy the first time. Get out of there and think about it. Check the price elsewhere. OMG the pressure sometimes.
3. Tom and his son appear to knock the price down a bit as a matter of form, but if they don’t offer make sure you ask. For that matter, don’t buy when Tom Sr. isn’t around, he appears to be the chief discounter.
4. Know what you’re looking for and be particular with your alterations. Their tailors act quickly and know what they’re doing, but default to a traditional fit. If you want a traditional fit, that’s quick and easy, otherwise no…
5. Don’t even look at accessories. They appear to be like popcorn at a movie theatre. Maybe I’m just spoiled by internet prices, but I can’t bring myself to pay $ 50 for a pocket square.
6. Don’t expect to find the latest stuff. Parts of the store are a time machine. You can make it work, but you have to know what you’re doing.

I was super impressed by this place. Instead of trying to gouge me on price they were very honest about each suit’s quality — including mentioning that unless I have several suits I shouldn’t go too high on thread quality (which is inherently more expensive) because it will ware down easily. See my man Dez — old school dude who knows his stuff, is pretty entertaining (perhaps unintentionally) and was super patient while I deliberated over 5 different suits.
Tom knocked off the tag price for a sale I didn’t even know about and out of goodwill gave me a discount on tailoring because I’m a student.
Solid mom and pop shop altogether and no obnoxious upselling or pandering. Tell them your price range when you walk through the door and they’ll totally work with you.

I’m sure glad I read the reviews for Tom’s Place after I had already made my purchase — I feel like some of the negative feedback might have scared me off of the place entirely. That being said, I’d received enough personal recommendations from both family and friends that I made the trek into Kensington last week to look for a suit, three days before a wedding.
Now I don’t pretend to know everything, or really anything, about suits. I know roughly what’s in style and what is out of style. Slim cut, IN, box cut, OUT, Thin over wide lapels, and so on. For the purists who’ve slammed Tom’s place, sure, maybe this isn’t the best place for you, but, for someone like me who needs a decent suit that will last me a while (to help me look my best the half a dozen times I wear a suit in a year), on a budget, Tom’s place is a great find.
Are the suits last years style? Sure, but we hold onto suits for way longer once we’ve purchased one, so what’s a year or two if it saves you some serious bucks.
For those that feel the story is cramped, well when are you visiting? I went during the week and there was next to no one other than staff on hand, and I felt I had plenty of room to move around.
My suit was retail close to $ 800, Tom’s had it marked at $ 450. Now I don’t pretend that I don’t know that Tom’s likely got this suit for pennies on the dollar, and was why they, without asking, knocked another $ 100 off the price. Do I care? Not really, the suit is great, fit perfectly the moment I put it on and, well… $ 350?!!
I got the suit on the main floor and my store associate, a woman whose name I don’t recall, was very helpful and scoured the racks with me to find a few good options. We then went upstairs where one of the gentlemen there showed me some different shirt/​tie/​pocket square combos to put together to change the look of my black suit.
Every item I ended up purchasing came with an automatic discount, I didn’t really need to ask, so I assume it’s just standard operating procedure for them to knock some bucks off. Made me wonder if I could have asked for more. At the end of the day I walked out of there with a full outfit for under $ 700 (including alterations).
A real plus for me was despite their 7 – 10 day alteration turnaround time that they normally request, they went the extra mile for me and had it done in 48 hours (pants taken up and lapels needed to be repressed and flattened out). When I came to try them on, it was Margaret at the front who walked over, pulled up my jacked and said «something on these pants doesn’t look right, take them off and I’ll have the tailor redo them». This for me was a big plus and a sign of good old fashioned customer service — thank you!
My ONLY critique was the woman who answered the phone when I phone in (as instructed) to check on the status of my alterations. She was extremely short and snippy on the phone and cut me off mid-​question telling me they’d call me back when they knew more. It wasn’t a big deal, but a more sensitive customer might take offense to the particular tone and approach she took.
As I mentioned, save for the one minor blemish, my experience was hassle and pressure free and I got a good suit at a great price. Best of all, my lady told me I looked great when I suited up, and isn’t that the most important point.
Thanks Tom’s Place, I’ll be back for a grey and blue suit when the time comes :)

Went there to buy a suit… Sasha the sales person was very patient and helpful. Bout 2 suits instead of 1. Would definetely go in again only because of Sasha.

These guys really helped me. They’re staff was equipped with knowledge; they were willing to share and advise it as well. I had no knowledge of suits and I left completely satisfied with one, the product, and two, their service. I’d recommend it for anyone looking at their first suit. I’d also recommend it for anyone looking in the $ 1000+ price range. They have suits ranging from $ 150-​$ 1500+.

I came here a little while back. The salesman brought me 2 options for suits, and both were terrible. He said they don’t have anything that’s big enough for me. This was odd, since I’m average height, and even if I may be a little on the chubby side (especially during the cold Canadian winter), I’m by no means the largest guy to ever buy a suit. To add insult to injury, the salesman even said that no place would have a suit for me, and that I would have to have one tailor made. Needless to say, I was totally embarrassed.
I went instead to Harry Rosen, where they treated me like a million bucks. The salesman was very accommodating and flattering and brought out many suit options, insisting he can do better with yet other options. I ended up spending a good chunk of of money on a very nice and flattering designer suit. Let me tell you, it was worth every penny.

It is important to know exactly what you want before going to Tom’s Place. The typical person will be overwhelmed by the selection. A common trend with the salespeople here is that they will get you to try out all sorts of different stuff that you originally did not have in mind. That is perfectly okay, given that you try it on FOR SIZE, but KEEP REITERATING to the Sales Associate (SA) what you had in mind originally! Demonstrate that you know exactly what to purchase. If you do this, they will yield and be very helpful. I was chatting with a gentleman about the construction of suits and their respective prices — he was 100% accurate and there was no BS. EDIT: Now that I think about it, he was buttering up his story a bit. Be careful when they «flaunt» how great some of the brands are, because the ONLY one for me that’s worth purchasing at the store is «Corneliani», but they are upwards of $ 1300. He also gave insightful pieces of advice and life stories that I enjoyed.
Contrary to other reviews, my SA didn’t exactly pressure me. When I was contemplating to purchase a certain suit (it was beautiful to be honest), another salesman came over and had a chat. Ended the conversation saying I should buy because it is a great deal. Normally, I’d label it as a pressure tactic, but in all honesty, even without his persuasion, I would have purchased because the deal was just too insanely good to pass on. Not going to share the specifics, but the suit I scored costs MUCH more at Harry Rosen. Tom is the man!
Beware: if they find out you have a good taste in fashion (aka expensive), they’ll show you all sorts of (SEEMINGLY) good stuff to entice you — bring a (guy that REALLY knows their stuff about suits) friend with you to the store if you’re a «noob». Self-​control is paramount. Do your research first!

THE WORST RETAIL EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. ¹⁄₅ of stars? They deserve −5÷5!
Highlights of my experience:
–High pressure salespeople — 5 people will swarm you to try to convince you on something; whether it be that something looks «beautiful» on you or their alterations were done properly.
–Very poor fashion sense. These people are not connected with modern day styles and are fit to serve 60 year olds and above. I guess it’s my fault to giving them a chance (I am 29 years old)
–They made me buy three suits with pants that did not fit, promising they would special order me new pants. Once I came back to order the pants, they could only do it with 1 out of the 3 pairs.
–Alterations were poorly done. They refuse to consider what I wanted and made fun of my style. This coming from a lady who wore such wide legged pants, you couldn’t even see her shoes. It’s 2014!!! wow… I ended up taking everything elsewhere to do it properly. They deliberately left one pair of pants untouched because I was being «picky»
–Tom is a typical lying salesman. I don’t understand how he’s weaseled his way into so many years of service. Don’t trust a word he says. Also, buddy, there are more adjectives that is a «beautiful» suit on you.
–I told him about a guy who helped me at the halton hills location. He was really good and his style suited mine. The staff all made fun of HIS sense of style and said he didnt know what he was doing. They were putting down their own employee when I said he was part of a positive experience of mine.
–Tom shook my hand and told me not to come back to the store. Hah, I wouldn’t even come back if I was offered 10 free suits. I hope to spread the word so they get the message. YOU NEED CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!!

The sales staff are all trained in 30 year old psychology tricks to make you think you’re getting a good deal and make you feel more invested in the process than you actually are. I wouldn’t call them pushy (and they seem to vary widely) but some of them are downright rude. For a place that boasts 10’000 suits they present preciously few actual options on top of which, everything takes forever to fetch.
They do have a large selection and they do seem to have a lot at lower price points so maybe if you’re on a tight budget you’d fare better here than elsewhere. But if you’re looking to get a good suit you can almost certainly do better with a department store and a good tailor or one of the cheaper made-​to-​order places.

My 18 year-​old son, Freddy, was born under the sign of the ram. I don’t know what that means either but he is by far the most stubborn procrastinator in the household. I have broken a blood vessel or two screaming at him to get his driver’s license, get his university applications in, take the crusty sheets off his bed to wash once and for all, et cetera. HIS PROM IS 5 DAYS AWAY AND HE STILL HASN’T GOTTEN A SUIT! This is a father’s job for sure but the Ram Boy hasn’t made any effort to make a shopping date with his dad on the weekend so I had to do it. I have zero interest in men’s suits, even Don Draper doesn’t appeal to me (although the real-​life Hammaconda does). The only thing I know about men’s suits are that I know when one is ugly.
Freddy is tall and lean like his cousin who wears Gucci suits and custom shirts in «gay size» ie. skin tight. He lent him a Topman tuxedo jacket which looks dapper like Draper except he can’t lift his arms more than 45 degrees. This is problematic in case they need to be scaling fences during the drunky-​time after hours. However we did decide the «slim fit» suit is the answer for Freddy’s slightly lanky physique.
I spent the morning googling «where to buy a suit in Toronto» and got the blogTO list which of course had Tom’s Place. I scrolled through all the comments from that site along with this one and got a mixed bag of «smells like sardines» and «pushy salespeople» along with great bargains, etc. IMO, it’s worth the funky fish odour if you can get a suit for $ 250. So we made out way on Monday afternoon.
I packed a flask and some charcuterie because I honestly didn’t know how this would play out, it could take the whole afternoon. I could quite possibly die of boredom.
We arrived and were greeted by a dude so ancient, he looked like he spent time with the original rat pack, smoking cigars and drinking whiskey while tap-​dancing. But he did look sharp in his suit AND he cut right to the chase. We didn’t want to pay more than $ 400, he pulled out a 38R jacket for $ 299 to try just for size and it fit perfectly. Freddy tried the pants on and that was that. The salesman suggested we have them hemmed at our local dry cleaner for convenience-​sake.
The whole transaction, from walking in to walking out, took less than 10 minutes and they gave us the whole suit for $ 200. Who could complain about that? Not Ram Boy. I didn’t even get to crack the flask open, I couldn’t help but thinking it would have been kind of cool if they had a lounge area for women so we could enjoy our salami platters just in case we wanted to make a day of it. Good times.

I think my story is similar to a few here: naïve clothing buyer, new to Toronto, on a budget but needing work clothes.
I don’t recall the experience being all that bad. The sales guy I worked with was nice enough – not really pushy. In fact, he was pretty honest about the fact that they just did not have my size.
The store does feel a little cluttered – this is certainly not Rosen’s!
I forget what I ended up with but it was only a few garments. The pants needed to be altered and some mistake was made with the one pair I still have. They were nice Strellson’s – the pair of slacks I now wear when I can’t wear jeans to something but the weather is crap.
I am unsure how good the deals are. You won’t overpay here but I don’t know if you are getting any kind of serious bargain. It seems like they work on buying a lot of last season’s items and passing on the discount to you.
I would not go to this store for a suit. Well, I would maybe come here before Moore’s or Tip Top.
But would I ever return for anything? Maybe. If I was in the area, and there was a particular thing I was looking for, such as a black sweater, I might pop in. Otherwise, it is kind of an experience, much like Honest Ed’s, that everyone in Toronto should try once.
A comment on those «5 suites for $x» and similar deals. Men, please don’t go for this. Don’t repeat my costly mistakes. Look, anything that is being advertised based on price is just not going to be high quality. Items of very high quality are rarely ever on any kind of serious sale. And a suit NEEDS to be high quality. The first reason for ever buying certain items should NEVER be «because I got a good price.» A suit is high up there on the list. Chances are that a hiring manager, people you want to date and your clients are going to be able to spot a cheap suit. You don’t want to be that guy in the cheap suit. Besides, does anyone other than politicians and Bay Street boys really need 5 suits? Do yourself a big favour. Save up some money ($ 1,500 is a good start) and get a properly made bespoke or MTM suit. Navy blue or charcoal grey. Goes with everything. Next suit can be the other colour if you find you need more than one. Very few of us really do. Take time, build your wardrobe carefully and thoughtfully. A well made suit will last a long time – clothes shouldn’t be bought and worn as disposable items.

I’ve been going to Tom’s place for almost 6 years now, and never had a bad experience.
Went there today and it was just as I expected. Was immediately greeted by Patrick Duncan (he has helped me in the past), told him what I wanted, and within 10 minutes I was paying.
Tom was very helpful on the price, and threw in a suit bag and a pair of funky socks.
Turns out it was Duncan’s Wife’s birthday, and he was still at work. I hope he takes her out for a nice dinner.
If you are looking for a good suit, at a good price I can’t recommend a better place.

It happens often. Poor unsuspecting guys don’t know much about what to wear and so they’re informed. What occurs next borders on abuse and extortion.
The people working here don’t mean to do it, they’re well-​intentioned but this is habit now. I don’t doubt there are a few gems who are well-​informed and can give you space (an older gentleman upstairs had this good sense). But to be fair they’re fighting a market that is outpacing them while situated, effectively, where few that don’t already know about them would ever go to buy a suit. So from the minute you walk in the door you are prey. Salespeople will lunge at you at every corner (and there are many corners).
I’m not their usual customer, which seem to consist of stubborn regulars and the naïve. I am well-​informed and know my suits, I can say that confidently. I found the store to be in complete disarray. Forget the fact that it’s packed to the brim, there’s no logic behind where anything is kept. When a salesperson shows you where your sizes are, they then lurk. Waiting for you to show the slightest interest and then tell you how great it is.
It’s not great. If you do get a good find it will be in the thousands. At that price you can get a great made-​to-​measure or a decent designer suit. Tom himself may be offering discounts ‘if you ask’, but how much will he really knock off when the very average garments are so overpriced?
A lot of Harry Rosen stores suffer a lot of the same issues, particularly with salespeople. These dinosaur stores need to get with it because their customers are getting savvier. Keep looking, it’s not worth the trek to Kensington Market, don’t let the nostalgia fool you.

I went there years ago. I liked the location, the staff, and even the owner came out to joke around.
I don’t wear suits for work anymore (thank God!) but now I’m looking for a casual sports jacket to go with jeans.
I’m really thinking about driving the hour to shop there. They must have made an impression.

Hey I read some of the other posts below but I had to check this out for myself.
I’m originally from NY’s Lower east side and had never been to Kensington Market till last weekend.
I had told my brother n law that I wanted a new sports jacket and couldn’t find anything that I liked in Moores. He told me to checkout Toms.
I walked in and immediately felt like I was back at home on Orchard St. A huge selection in a somewhat cramped space. The staff were super friendly. The S.P. introduced himself and asked my name. Being in sales for years myself this impressed me.
I immediately found more then 4 items that I liked, and ended up buying 2 and feel I got a good deal. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience there and highly recommend that you check it out for yourself. Hey ask for Lawrence he was a top notch nice guy to deal with.

Tom’s Place in Kensington Market is an institution:
I suspect that every young Bay Streeter has paid Mr. Mihalek a visit, or attended one of his ‘warehouse’ sales at the Miles Nadal JCC or elsewhere on Bathurst. The place is a maze, with sales help hiding around corners and ready to help you navigate the racks.
While the layout invites browsing the sales pitch can be aggressive and also focuses on the house brand rather than designer ‘finds’. A fair chunk of the latter may be seconds or dead stock, but since it all just piles up like an episode of «Hoarders», Tom’s could actually double as one of the better Vintage shops in the market.
Much has been written about Tom’s willingness to haggle, and it’s true, but watch the sticker pricing on suits, shirts and ties. For widely available brands and can easily buy off the rack, you might do better at a department store sale. Still, Tom’s is good theater, and a vital part of a neighborhood built on thrift.
More importantly, customers leave happy, convinced they’ve scored a serious bargain.