History of Bad Boy

The original Bad Boy was Mel Lastman, who in 1955 decided to open a furniture store on Weston Rd. with the aim of providing customers with low pricing and excellent service. As time went by Mel became a legend in Toronto by engineering a number of publicity stunts, including selling two dollars for one dollar, the best "2 for 1" deal you could find, unheard of at the time and never duplicated.

Through his shrewd management, the Bad Boy chain flourished under Mel to encompass over 40 locations in Ontario. While the business was growing Mel decided to turn his attention to politics and run for the Office of Mayor of the City of North York (now part of the City of Toronto). Once elected, the citizens of North York would not let him go, reelecting him as Mayor, until he entered the Guinness Book of World Records. In order to concentrate his energies on building North York, he decided to sell his beloved furniture chain in 1975. The parties that purchased the company from Mel could not maintain his high standards, low prices, and enthusiasm, very soon after the business lapsed.

Blayne Lastman, his son and current Chairman of Lastman’s Bad Boy, was 14 years old at the time Bad Boy was sold, but the Bad Boy phenomenon had already entered into his psyche. In 1991 he decided to re-establish the Bad Boy name and reputation of providing furniture, appliances, and electronics at the lowest price along with excellent customer service.

At a time, when other furniture retailers were struggling, the Bad Boy team planted themselves in the middle of the furniture strip on Kennedy Road in Scarborough. After analyzing the retail market, Bad Boy implemented an innovative and forward thinking sales strategy that would later be replicated by others in the industry. The success of the Kennedy Road store very quickly led to another location being opened in Mississauga about one year later.

Soon after, in 1994, then United States President Bill Clinton’s staff attempted to intervene in Bad Boy’s business, asking Bad Boy to “…cease and desist…” from using his likeness in their advertising. Their complaint centered around Bad Boy’s use of a Bill Clinton look-a-like in some Bad Boy ads. In typical Bad Boy fashion, not only did they not cease nor desist but responded, first by replying “…this was Canada, not the 51st state.” and then getting a Hillary Clinton look-a-like into Bad Boy ads to complement the Bill Clinton look-a-like. Major news outlets and talk shows all over Canada and the United States contacted Bad Boy for updates and ran the story.

With the Scarborough and Mississauga locations running well, the company set it’s mind on expansion, and over the next few years opened stores in North York, Whitby, and in 1999, they put a store in Barrie.

With five stores and a bustling warehouse/head office complex in Weston, growth was abated to allow the company to fine tune it’s operation so it could continue to fulfill it’s mandate of lowest prices and excellent customer service.

2006 was the year Mel Lastman, affectionately known as "Mega City Mel", and recently retired from his six-year stint as Mayor of the newly formed City of Toronto, decided to come back to his original love, Bad Boy. Blayne Lastman made his father the Honorary Chairman of the Board of the newly minted Lastman’s Bad Boy. This brought the company full circle back to its roots and allowed Bad Boy to tap into the retail legend that is Mel Lastman, on a full time basis.

Since it’s transformation into Lastman’s Bad Boy, the company has already formulated an ambitious plan to open many new locations in the coming year and the next year. London and Kitchener are the current additions of 2007 to Lastman’s Bad Boy. In addition, they will continue to look for more communities to incorporate into the Lastman’s Bad Boy family.