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This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

By Jean Grant| Photography by Michelle Nunes
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This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

What was once the Dufferin Mall’s HMV has been converted into My Fidget Spinner, a pop-up selling the latest baffling craze: fidget spinners. For those who haven’t yet been subjected to the mesmerizing doohickeys, there isn’t that much to understand: they’re hand-held gadgets that spin (and spin and spin and spin) around a centre anchor.

The toys were originally designed by inventor Catherine Hettinger in the ’90s, who thought children could use them as a quiet and non-destructive way to release pent-up energy. Her patent expired in 2005 before the craze caught on, and in Toronto they’re now sold by retailers like Mastermind, Indigo, Staples, Etsy, even Kitchen Stuff Plus—and, until August, My Fidget Spinner.

Here, they sell over a dozen different kinds of spinners made of aluminum, steel, iron and plastic:

This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

The most expensive model ($60) is this sleek black steel version. Tiny bells in its prongs make a twinkly ringing noise when spun:

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This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

Employee Daniela Delgado says they sell out of models every week, and people are dropping serious cash on the toys. “We have people coming in and spending over $200 on spinners,” she says:

This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

This one ($50) is actually a bluetooth speaker with flashing disco lights:

This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

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This colourful brass piece ($50) has been the store’s most popular seller:

This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

Delgado says they get people of all ages coming in to look at the toys. This mid-range technicolour version, which can spin for over three minutes if wound properly, is another popular choice:

This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners

 

And for flashier consumers, there’s this metallic dollar sign:

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This Dufferin Mall store sells nothing but fidget spinners
Jean Grant has been a freelance writer since 2015, covering a range of lifestyle topics like shopping, interiors, wellness and culture for publications like Maclean’s and Toronto Life. She also enjoys working with brands to develop custom content, and shares personal essays through her Substack newsletter, Nobody is Thinking About You.
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