Since it was built in 1887, the Alexandrina Block on College Street west of Spadina has seen numerous tenants come and go, including The Bagel music venue. Among its current elements is a 1970s-style sign promising over a dozen variety of submarine sandwiches. Those hoping for a retro experience will be disappointed as all that remains of the self-proclaimed "Rolls Royce of submarines" is the sign, fully intact and party covered by a tree.

The earliest media mention we can find for Mothers a dining guide in the June 3, 1972 edition of Star Week, which gave Mothers four stars out of four (tying it with the only survivor in the $5-$10 category, The Coffee Mill). "Mothers serves a Super-Sub sandwich for $1.35. It could use a little more oregano, but otherwise it's the closest thing we've found in Toronto to the Philadelphia hoagie or New York hero. Hero-worshippers please take note."

While Mothers may have been lacking in the oregano department, it did offer a unique delivery vehicle to back up its slogan: a Volkswagen Beetle modified to resemble a Rolls Royce. Such conversions were a fad during the period, with surviving examples including one owned by Liberace on display at his museum in Las Vegas. According to co-owner Howard Waxberg in a January 1974 interview with Toronto Life, "it cost us $450 to have the body work done, and then we had to get it painted—maybe $600 altogether." The main problem with the car was finding suitable parts, especially after an accident damaged the first front grill. Waxberg felt that the vehicle "was the best advertising money we've spent. It's fantastic to drive the thing. People look at you, laugh, point, stop you and ask questions, like 'What is that?'"

A question now asked by pedestrians passing the sign.

Photo by Jamie Bradburn