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HOEM Run: More than a Convenience Store
Published September 28, 2026 by The HOEM Team
HOEM Run offers a new take on your typical convenience store, and brings a genuinely well-stocked, thoughtfully designed shopping experience to the downtown core. It’s built into the ground floor of HOEM on Jarvis and is open to everyone, not just people who live in the building.
For downtown Toronto students, it’s the ultimate shopping experience. Toronto Metropolitan University and George Brown College are the closest campuses, but given its central location, HOEM Run is an easy stop no matter which school you’re at.
Jump to a section:
What is HOEM Run?
What can you buy?
Why it’s worth a visit.
Exclusive Discount – 10% Off
1. What HOEM Run Is
HOEM Run takes its cues from the Japanese konbini: the idea that a corner store can be more than a place to grab something fast. It can be a small, considered pause in the day. That philosophy shows up in the details, the red and white checkered floors, the “Chilled and Fresh,” “Well Chilled,” and “Stay Frozen” fridge lineup, and a hand-lettered sign out front that reads “School is in. Snack time is on.”
HOEM Run opens directly onto the street and sits on the ground floor of HOEM on Jarvis, a student residence in downtown Toronto. However, you don’t need to be a resident to shop here. HOEM Run functions as a public-facing convenience store, open to everyone.
đź“Ť Address: 186 Jarvis Street, Toronto
đź•— Hours:
- Sunday – Thursday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
- Friday – Saturday: 8 a.m. – midnight
2. What’s on the Shelves (and What’s Cooking)
This isn’t a store running on a handful of chip bags and lottery tickets. HOEM Run stocks a wide range across a few categories, such as:
Drinks: Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta, FruittĂ©, and Core Power protein shakes, alongside milk, iced coffee, and HOEM Run’s own branded Fizz and canned line.
Snacks and pantry: Cheerios, Froot Loops, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Goldfish, Ritz, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Gushers, and instant noodles including Mr. Noodles and Buldak.
Frozen: Eggo waffles, frozen dumplings, ramen bowls, and a rotating frozen meal selection.
Fresh and grab-and-go: salads, pastries, sandwiches, and prepared meals in the fridge for students who need something fast between classes.
Gourmet roller dogs: The standout, though. HOEM Run makes its hot dogs to order on roller grills, with toppings that go well beyond ketchup and mustard, think fresh pico, pickled onion, olives, and herbs piled onto a soft bun. It’s a small example of the store’s broader instinct: take something ordinary and treat it with a bit more care than it strictly needs.
3. Why It’s Worth Adding to Your Rotation
Student experience: The store is designed for speed without feeling rushed. Layouts, labelling, and product placement are built so you can move through quickly and still know exactly what you’re choosing. If you live at HOEM or nearby, it’s a faster stop than a full grocery trip, especially during exam season when a fifteen-minute round trip matters. The roller dogs also make it a legitimate lunch option, not just a snack stop, which is rare for a convenience store this close to campus.
Hours: Open until 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, HOEM Run covers the gaps that most campus food services don’t, including the stretch between dinner and whenever your library session ends.
Prices: Items are individually price-tagged and comparable to standard convenience store pricing, without the markup you sometimes see at stores that know they’re the only option on the block.
4. The Downtown Student Discount
Here’s the part that makes this genuinely worth a mention: until November 30, HOEM Run is offering 10% off when you follow both accounts on Instagram and say you heard about the store through The Downtown Student.
A few things worth being clear about, since this tends to come up:
- The discount is open to everyone, not just HOEM residents.
- You don’t need a code or a coupon. All you need to do is:
- Follow @thedowntownstudent and @hoem.run on Instagram
- Mention The Downtown Student at checkout
- It applies in-store at HOEM Run, 186 Jarvis Street.
- The offer runs until November 30.
The Takeaway
HOEM Run brings real thought to something as ordinary as a convenience store run: a well-stocked shop, roller dogs made to order, and details that make a quick stop feel a little more considered. Add a limited-time discount on top of that, and it’s worth making part of your routine.
Follow @thedowntownstudent and @hoem.run for more, including when this discount and others like it go live.
