Our site may be new but we’re certainly not!
Toys Downstairs is the newest distribution arm of Shane Turgeon’s long-running collectibles business in Canada and around the world.
Shane began collecting comic books in 1988 and toys in 1990 and dealing in both just a few years later. Since that time, he’s built an impressive collection of not just toys and comics but toy prototypes, original comic art, animation art, movie posters and original movie props as well and has travelled the world in search of rare items.
In 2003 Shane founded the Edmonton Collectible Toy and Comic Show which, after ten hugely successful events, became the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo which he co-founded and was the General Manager of until 2018.
In 2010 Shane became the first person in Canada to be certified by the Canadian Personal Property Appraisers Group to specialize in pop culture collectibles such as toys, comics, posters, movie props and art and in that same year, he opened Shades of Grey, an upscale tattoo studio and vintage toy store in Edmonton.
In 2014 Shane went back to his toy show roots and created the Edmonton Collector Con which is currently held three times a year at the Italian Cultural Centre.
For nearly 20 years, Shane has been a driving force behind most of the pop culture conventions in Edmonton. In addition to organizing conventions, Shane has also been a panelist at numerous events around the world, including Lucasfilm’s Star Wars Celebration events, speaking about a variety of topics related to collecting. He closed the brick and mortar portion of his toy shop in 2020 but Shades of Grey continues to be one of Edmonton’s most in-demand tattoo studios.
Distribution has long been a part of Shane’s business model as well. In 2007 he released the first volume of his popular two-book series, The Force in the Flesh: Star Wars Inspired Body Art, which he has been shipping to thousands of customers all over the world ever since. In 2019 our friends at Super7 needed help getting their massive Snake Mountain playset to Canadian collectors and Shane handled the nationwide sales and distribution for that incredible release as well.
Now, in 2021, Shane is proud to be Super7’s preferred partner in Canada for their Ultimates line of action figures and looks forward to continuing to serve Canadian collectors with outstanding service and collectibles through Toys Downstairs.
Our Name
“When I was a kid there was a department store in my grandma’s hometown called Craig’s where I’d always go for toys. Their toy department was in the basement and the top of the stairs featured some beautiful orange signs proclaiming: TOYS DOWNSTAIRS! I’m sure this is a sentiment that so many of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s can relate to – heading down into the basement of our local small town department store to stare longingly at the rows and rows of toys from so many of our favourite lines. Nowadays, as adult collectors, so many of us have our collections displayed in our basements, once again filling us with that same feeling of nostalgia as we descend those stairs to view our toys, both new and old.
A few years ago Craig’s closed down after over 100 years in business. Thanks to my grandma, I was fortunate enough to snag one of those beautiful orange signs and now I get to bask in those wonderful memories each time I visit my collection. Toys Downstairs. It’s an homage to simpler times. And it just felt right to name our new company after such a strong sense of nostalgia.”
– Shane