A little piece of Toronto died today as work crews began the process of dismantling and removing the Honest Ed's signs. First to go was the one facing west on Markham Street.

Any mourning is sure to be tempered by knowledge that this particular light bulb-strewn icon will be reinstalled on Victoria Street later this summer, but the area around Bathurst and Bloor will never be the same once each of the signs comes down.

This is yet another moment in the extended funeral procession for the old discount retailer, which closed its doors for good on December 31, 2016.

Perhaps fittingly, this morning's extraction was a slow process. Starting around 11 a.m., it took over an hour just to get the first section down. Crews are exercising great caution given the upcoming restoration, which will be carried out by the Pattison Sign Group.

Eventually, the enormous 30 by 60 foot sign will be loaded onto a flatbed trailer and brought to Orillia, where Pattison has a facility.

A small group of onlookers, including David Mirvish, witnessed today's theatrics. He spoke a bit about the history of the store, though it was the neighbourhood types who betrayed more obvious emotion about the events unfolding before them.

If you're hoping to get a look at one of Honest Ed's signs while it's still located at Bathurst and Bloor, you'd better not wait too long.