Music

The El Mocambo's iconic neon palm tree sign is for sale on eBay

by Mark Teo

The El Mocambo, which lived for decades lived on the edges of Kensington Market, is one of Toronto’s most revered venues—and a giant part of its mythology was its neon-lit palm tree sign, which perched over Spadina Ave. And when the venue announced that it’d be shuttering this fall after years of financial troubles, many of the city’s music lovers were wondering—what would happen to the ElMo’s beloved neon sign? Would it go the way of Sam the Record Man’s gaudy signage? Would it be relegated to the trash heap?

Well, that depends on who buys the giant, fluorescent palm tree. Because, see, the El Mocambo’s sign has been listed on eBay.

As we’re writing this story, the sign has 59 backers, and is currently at $7,500, with bidding set to end on October 31. Curiously, the listing states that the seller may not ship to Canada—under the “ships to” category, only the United States is listed—but surely, the El Mocambo’s owner Sam Grosso will ship within the country. Grosso, for his part, has 100 per cent positive feedback, so like, that’s a good sign. That said, he’s adamant that the buy not only pays all shipping costs, but fronts the money to get the sign taken down, too.

We’re hoping that its eventual buyer will do the right thing—preserve and display the El Mocambo’s sign, hopefully somewhere within the city. The venue, after all, is not only one of the city’s most hallowed, but one of Canada’s most famed: Elvis Costello, U2, and Fats Domino all did their time there, and famously, the Rolling Stones loved the venue (and even had Margaret Trudeau attend their shows there, resulting in a rumoured sex scandal).

Still, whoever buys the sign will be receiving it in excellent condition. The club’s owners spent $20,000 restoring the sign back in 2013, and surely they’re hoping to recoup that investment. Here’s to hoping that whoever buys the sign keeps it on Spadina.