It has been confirmed by The Bulldog that Cumbrae’s butcher shop has taken a lease on the large space at 1591 Bayview Ave and will move its South Bayview store to that location in the months to come. At present, Cumbrae’s is a veteran of the street with its busy store located at 1636 Bayview. Senior staff say they have been told that over a period of several months, the dynamic high-end meat and specialty food retailer will convert the large space, which was once a TD Bank branch, to the complex environment needed for a sophisticated butcher shop. Immediate speculation has centred on the use of space and such things as a loading dock, the placement of generators and storage facilities for perishable meat.
Cumbrae’s is owned by an area resident, Stephen Alexander, a butcher by trade as was his father. Alexander is Australian by birth and started his first store on Church Street. Now there are four locations including the original on Church as well as 714 Queen Street West and 26 King Street West in Dundas, a location that trades with affluent families in Ancaster. Mr. Alexander (inset above) has been called a “dashing figure” by the Globe and Mail for his style and enterprise.
The decision by Cumbrae’s to expand on Bayview will be an important boost for the street as a destination for local shoppers and those from further afield. Next door to 1591 is Badali’s Fruit Market, the longest standing business on the street. The owner, Sal Badali is delighted with the idea of a Cumbrae’s next door He laughed that it would have been good 20 years ago. The name Cumbrae is Scottish in origin but it is not known how that applies to the store name. Two islands off the western coast in the Firth of Clyde are known as The Cumbraes.
