Non-Canadians should know a few things about Canadian Tire, a hardware-slash-department store with roughly 500 locations. Yes, they sell tires, but also hot tubs, marshmallows and holiday-themed porch geese. They will take your passport photo and renew your driver’s license.
But ask chronically online fans of the show “Heated Rivalry,” and they will tell you that the store has one of the hottest fashion accessories of the summer, thanks to the stylish actor Hudson Williams.
Mr. Williams, who is from Vancouver, plays the gay hockey player Shane Hollander on “Heated Rivalry,” a made-in-Canada cultural juggernaut. On Saturday, he was photographed in downtown Toronto carrying a red-and-black plaid Canadian Tire shopping bag — which appeared to contain a roll of paper towels — alongside his co-star and friend Connor Storrie. They have begun filming season two in Toronto, and the show’s fans so obsess over them that the production has asked those who come across its sets not to share the locations.
Following their overnight success in season one of “Heated Rivalry,” Mr. Williams and Mr. Storrie have become highly visible and influential in their fashion and style choices.
Demand for Canadian Tire’s reusable shopping bag has surged 30-fold since Saturday, Eva Salem, the company’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. Restocks at sold-out locations, the retailer said, are expected soon.
Founded in 1922 by Toronto’s Billes family, which still holds majority control, Canadian Tire operates exclusively within Canada.
“No matter the occasion, Canadian Tire is ubiquitous with life in Canada,” Ms. Salem said. “We are pleased that we could be there for Connor and Hudson, and we’re honored to be the exclusive destination for Canada’s it bag for cottage season.” (“The Cottage” was the title of the emotional final episode in season one of “Heated Rivalry.”)
The sudden popularity of the bag — whose pattern looks like a Canadian spin on a red Burberry Check — was evident in a haphazard display at a North Toronto Canadian Tire. Of the roughly dozen branches of the store in the city, this was the only one at which the company’s website indicated available stock.
Some totes sat stacked in a shopping cart near the entrance Wednesday afternoon. A misspelled sign specified a sales limit of a five bags per person. They sell for 1.99 Canadian dollars, or $1.42.
These bags have not yet sparked quite the frenzy associated with Trader Joe’s totes, for which shoppers lined up outside stores. But those were made of sturdy canvas. The Canadian Tire tote is made of polypropylene, commonly used for the inexpensive sacks shoppers grab at the checkout when they forget to bring one from home. (Canada has banned the plastic bags used by stores since 2023 and most don’t provide paper bags, to encourage shoppers to use their own.)
Like the best viral commotions, hype over the totes seemed most conspicuous online, escalating after paparazzi photos of Mr. Williams and his bag were posted on a large pop culture Instagram account, DeuxMoi. Many shoppers at the North Toronto location walked by the bag display on Wednesday afternoon hardly noticing it, clearly unaware the bags were selling on eBay for $20.
In true Canadian fashion, store staff were reluctant to speak about the brand’s “Heated Rivalry” moment, citing the company’s media policy.
Online, at least, Canadian Tire has showed a sense of humor. The company’s social media account commented on a number of Instagram posts about Mr. Williams’s bag, saying in one case: “This bag is our entire personality now.”
“Heated Rivalry”-adjacent merch has proved wildly popular. Earlier this year, Province of Canada, a clothing and lifestyle brand that manufactures all of its goods, including sweatshirts and T-shirts, in Canada, released a replica of a zip-up fleece worn by Mr. Williams’s character on the show. Offered for pre-order at 356 Canadian dollars ($254), it sold out in 10 minutes.
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