Ghost stories of the Grain Exchange!

Buckle up, folks!

The Grain Exchange Building — originally known as the Hull Block, constructed around 1908-1910 — housed 21 companies that year and cost a whopping $164,000 to build (equivalent to several million dollars today). Calgarys first reinforced concrete skyscraper and first modern building block. It is the only building of it's height and size to use sandstone cladding. It also makes history for containing the city's first passenger elevator.

Unsurprisingly, it also contains plenty of spooky YYC history.

Let us share some of the ghostly encounters we’ve both experienced and heard about.

Starting in the basement (as any good scary story would) it’s rumoured that ghostly phonograph jazz music can sometimes be heard drifting through the halls. Many former cleaners and clients of the building have also described feeling an uneasy presence while down there. They have also reported doors opening and closing, along with supplies being moved.

As you make your way up the floors in the elevator, many people describe a sense of concern that goes beyond a normal fear of elevators (On top of the normal fear of getting stuck in the elevator that many have had to go through..whoopsie!). The halls can be dimly lit in the early mornings and late evenings, and the original hardwood floors make sure no footsteps go unnoticed.

One of our clients once heard someone walking directly behind him. When he turned around, nobody was there. He stayed on edge for the entire haircut afterward.

There are also reports of a little girl in white that walks backwards through some levels. This one I keep all my fingers and toes crossed that I will get to experience myself.

JP here — my favorite tale isn’t exclusive to me, but it definitely shook me the most.

After returning from Amsterdam, we excitedly brought a thrifted rotary phone into the shop.

A few days later, I arrived early one morning only to discover our deadbolted door that leads from the hallway into the office pushed open, with the items leaning against it knocked onto the ground.

I was immediately in a tizzy.

Thinking the shop had been robbed, I rushed inside, only to discover that nothing had been taken. Nothing else had even been touched. Since I was the only person in the building, I cleaned everything up and tried to shake it off.

Then I went into the bathroom closest to our shop.

As I stood up to leave the stall, the door to the stall beside me slowly creaked open with a calculated slowness that made every hair on my body stand on end.

My thoughts immediately started racing.

Was it the person who tried to break in?

Was it a spectral spirit trying to steal my soul?

For context: this building is so old that it has no HVAC system, meaning there’s no airflow that could have caused the door to move. The bathroom windows are sealed shut, and I hadn’t bumped the stall.

I stood there silently for at least three full minutes waiting to see if anything else would happen.

The second I finally exited the stall, I bolted back to the shop and waited for Gabby to arrive as backup.

Apparently, both the security guard and the building cameras from the night before confirmed the door had opened — but from the camera’s perspective, there was no visible human contact. Meaning the dead bolted door, with objects leaned against it, somehow opened on its own.

After talking with other residents in the building, we discovered both experiences are surprisingly common: locked doors opening overnight, bathroom stall doors opening while people are alone…

Hopefully it happens to everyone after going #1....or things could get messy.

Tala also started acting strangely after the events. She would stare toward the corner where the phone sat and bark, or stand frozen in the hallway looking at absolutely nothing as if someone — or something — was there. She was on edge for days.

Only after we made a small altar did the activity and Tala finally settle down.

More recently, we have adopted a sweet sweet doll from Junk in the Trunk named Nicholas. Dressed in a hairdressing cape and sitting in a barber chair, along with his comforting bear, Nicholas was calling Gabby's name. Ringing in at a whopping $10, Gabby said even the teller at the shop was surprised at the price based on his pristine conditon. After bringing Nicholas to his new home, we set him up in the cabinet so all could admire.

Here's where it gets alittle spooky. The days following Nicholas's setup Gabby and I were having lunch at the front desk when their trimmer turned on. This trimmer stands upright away from Tala or anything else that could bump into it. It also requires manual switching on/off. The next day, Gabby's blowdryer stopped blowing warm air. It seems Nicholas has an affinity for messing with their tools..

Tala was also an unfortunate victim to the energy, she became extremely clingy and melancholic. We know she is a sucky pup at heart but this was becoming excessive.

Leah across the hall also had random and unexplained power shortages that were interfering with her days.

Gabby decided one night to take matters into their own hands.

They scolded Nicholas firmly (as a parent would) and told him he was welcome to stay but he had to leave Tala and and everything else alone or else he was going to get the boot.

Following that talk, I brought Nicholas one of my many clown dolls as a peace offering and so he would have a friend, to which it seems, was all that was needed to calm his rambunctious spirit self.

Clients say he is a tad creepy but just try to keep it to yourself if you feel that way as a young boys confidence can be so fragile after all!

The building goes quiet at night, but never completely silent.

There’s always another creak in the hallway.

Another sound from an empty floor.

Another feeling that someone is standing just out of sight.

Maybe that’s just what happens in buildings this old.

Or maybe the Grain Exchange never really emptied out.

Either way, if you visit us, don’t forget to say hello to the spirits...

That's All Folks!