Real ‘Bob’s Garage’ houses a quiet hero
‘Schitt’s Creek’ shop attracts tourists, but true gem is man who owns it
Joe Toby spends his days puttering away at his handyman projects, inside his old rickety workshop. A workshop that has taken on a life of its own.
“What’s out there now is the faded blue from 1989 when we painted it,” the 75-year old Toby says.
That faded baby blue is an eyecatcher that has evolved into a traffic stopper in the small town of Goodwood, ever since Joe’s Warehouse became known around the world as “Bob’s Garage.”
For six seasons, Toby’s shop was a staple on the set of the hit Canadian comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” now seen in many countries on multiple streaming services, including Netflix. Joe had no idea what was ahead for the big blue barn when he received a call at his Florida winter trailer park in February 2013. The call came from a locations manager looking to rent a building for a new CBC show being launched by Eugene Levy and his son Dan. Toby says he wasn’t looking to get rich, he was simply hoping for a locations fee that would cover the building’s annual tax bill of $6,000.
“Basically, the first year turned out to be, coincidentally, almost one year’s property taxes on this building. The next year when they did the interior, it equalled two years of property taxes,” Toby said with a grin.
The producers explained that they wanted to put up a façade on the warehouse to make it look like an old, weathered small-town gas station. What struck Toby as odd was the show’s name, “Schitt’s Creek.”
“I thought they’ll never get it past the CBC,” he said.
The name passed and the show launched. Toby said he watched a couple of episodes and didn’t quite get it. He wasn’t sure if the series would be a success until the end of the second season: that’s when visitors started showing up at his warehouse for a few selfies using the big blue background.
Many visitors wanted to know what it was like hanging with the Levys. Toby was quick to point out that his famous garage doesn’t come with a backstage pass.
“I was within six feet of Eugene, once. I saw Dan from across the street,” he laughed.
Over the years, the crowds kept growing and so did the distance they would travel to take photos with the buildings in Goodwood, less than an hour’s drive northeast of Toronto. Toby
affectionately refers to the dedicated fans as “SchittHeads.” One such man turned up from Alice Springs, Australia.
“He was a gentleman who had binge-watched it on Netflix. He was coming to Canada for a trade conference, and he googled it and found out it was outside Toronto. He was ecstatic, so he came out here,“said Toby.
COVID-19 has all but eliminated the world travellers, but fans are still coming. Tracy Lavoie drove close to three hours with her husband from Fort Erie, Ont., after the show cleaned up at the 2020 Emmy Awards, winning nine Emmys in the comedy category.
“We love the show. With them winning all the Emmys we just wanted to come through and check it out,” said an excited
Lavoie. “My husband thought we were really going to see the sign ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ but I don’t know if that really exists anywhere?”
It doesn’t. All signs of the show have been removed, including the “Bob’s Garage” sign on Toby’s warehouse. The show ended production last year and aired its final episodes on CBC in April, so Goodwood is back to its original look.
But life is not back to normal for the local residents, as the fan base continues to grow thanks to the Netflix exposure. Toby enjoys people popping by and, on occasion, will give impromptu tours of his building.
However, not everyone has warmed up to the town’s tourist stop status.
“Most of the people think it’s sort of cute in a way. There’s several people that think it’s an invasion of their privacy,” Toby said.
“There are people who don’t like any attention being placed on their properties,” said Dave Barton, who is the real mayor of the town.
He is quick to point out that the majority of Goodwood residents are having fun with it. “It’s been great to watch this show be embraced by the world and it’s been an economic boost for the municipality. “
Toby says most visitors just want a few photos and some info about what really goes on inside his place.
This is where the story changes. A look inside reveals fabricating equipment, welding torches and work benches. What’s also revealed is the generous work done inside Joe’s
Warehouse.
Toby’s puttering involves making special equipment for families with disabled children. His latest project was building a custom bed for a St. Thomas family that is caring for a bedridden teenager.
“The type of bed that is commercially available in the States and not in Canada is $7,000, which they could never afford,” Toby said.
When pressed about his fee for the bed, the generosity label makes sense. “I didn’t charge them.”
“He’s made about 45 beds for us,” said Elaine Darling, program co-ordinator of the March of Dimes. “He’s a volunteer who goes above and beyond. He changes people’s lives through these devises he builds at his cost.”
Toby says he’s had numerous businesses over his life and has done well financially. Although he’s officially retired, he has no intention of ever sitting back and doing nothing. His warehouse work keeps him busy and he says he has no need for more money.
Toby plans to continue his humanitarian work inside, but also believes there could be more work coming outside.“I expect there will be a movie before 2022,” he chuckles.
If so, Joe’s Warehouse could once again be transformed into Bob’s Garage. Toby could soon be dealing with a locations manager, but plans to keep his demands reasonable.
“It could mean another year’s property taxes paid,” he laughs.