A beloved Roncesvalles shop had its prized possession stolen
Portrait thief, if you’re reading this, it’s not too late to give it back
If you’ve ever browsed the vibrantly whimsical home goods at Baa Baazaar, in Roncesvalles, you’ve likely been stared down by a framed portrait of Bruce Willis, placed high on a shelf.
Founder and former co-owner Nicole Elsasser got the portrait autographed by Willis himself two decades ago, and it had become the store’s “weird black-and-white guardian angel” since Baa Baazaar first opened in 2022, on Dupont, before moving to Roncy.
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Unfortunately, the portrait was recently stolen, and Baa Baazaar understandably wants it back. Appealing to the portrait thief or any of their conspirators, a post on Baa Baazaar’s Instagram pleads for Willis’s return: “The autograph reads, ‘To Nicole, Peace. - Bruce Willis.’ And we need Bruce Willis Peace now more than ever!!!!!! If you know what happened to him please dm us or even bring him back and we won’t be mad!!”
It would take months to check the walls of every person named Nicole in Toronto. But Willis has convincingly played various relentless lawmen enough times for us to believe that justice will prevail.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
