Holt Renfrew lays off beloved doorman, upsets Twitterati

Holt Renfrew is about to lose one of its hospitality trademarks: its doorman. Tom Hargitai has held the same position, and many a door, at the store’s Yorkville location for the past 21 years. Hailing originally from Montreal, Hargitai is 57, knows regulars by name and has witnessed generations of customers walk through Holts’s front entrance. Hargitai’s dismissal is apparently not for performance reasons (anyone who’s seen him in action know he’s a natural), but he worries that Holts just wants him to disappear. “Maybe I’m too old,” Hargitai told the Toronto Star. “I’m saddened by it. I love my job.”

Since the revolution will no longer be televised, it makes sense for angered denizens to take to Twitter in an effort to show how much they loved the man who held the door open or shared an anecdote. Mosha Lundström Halbert refers to Hargitai as an “institution,” while Shinan Govani succinctly notes “Era. End.”

Hargitai admits that his position as doorman is more than just a job for him. “I’m like a bartender. I’ve sat down and listened to people over coffee when they wanted to talk. I’ve walked the extra mile for my customers. People bring me cakes and cookies, they give me wine and chocolates at Christmas,” Hargitai told the Star.

We’re sad to see the Mayor of Bloor Street go, but if a lineup should form, we recommend pulling first, and, if that fails, push.

• After 21 years, door closes on Holt Renfrew’s popular doorman [Toronto Star]