Those who wondered how on earth a lowly dollar store could make a go of it on Bayview Ave. may have by now revised their view. Three months in since Dollarama opened, it seems that the company is doing a lot of business on our upscale high street, thank you. You don’t have to go inside the store at 1531-33 Bayview  to see just how brisk things are. It’s evident through the front windows that the cash-out aisle (cash or debit only) is seldom empty. The space that for so many years housed Shoppers Drug Mart seems like a good fit for Dollarama. At its new location in the old Bayview Playhouse building,  Shoppers has moved even more heavily into name-brand cosmetics. It has added groceries and other household products. Perhaps unwisely, the dispensary was placed on the second level. Down at the low end of things it seems possible that Shoppers will have noticed the presence of Dollarama in such things a cheap bath soap and toiletries, paper goods and candies. The company’s quarterly earning will be released tomorrow (Friday,April 12, 2013) and they are expected to show a strong performance. One estimate suggests that Dollarama will report earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $118.6-million in its fiscal third quarter, up 21.4 per cent from a year ago, with earnings per share rising to $1.01 from 84 cents.

Loblaws at 321 Moore Ave. is ready but the bedding plant excitement is still a few weeks away — even for hardy horticulturalists. All across South Bayview this morning it looks more like January 11 than April 11.  As an “April Surprise” this is a big one. Read the outlook from The Weather Channel.  

The Federal Government has issued a recall for Old Navy footed and non-footed one-piece sleepers with the style number starting with 476746. The Healthy Canadians notice says: “They are made of 100% cotton. The hazard identified by Health Canada’s sampling and evaluation program has determined that these products do not meet the flammability requirements for children’s sleepwear under Canadian law. Loose-fitting children’s sleepwear can contact ignition sources such as stove elements, candles, and matches more readily than tight-fitting sleepwear, and once ignited will burn rapidly, potentially resulting in severe burns to large areas of the child’s body. For this reason, cotton is not permitted in loose-fitting sleepwear. Neither Health Canada nor Old Navy has received reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of the affected sleepwear.” The recall notes that some 15,550 of the recalled products were sold in Canada between June 2012 to February 2013. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled products and return them to where they were purchased.