Hopson-Grace tabletop to open at Yonge-Macpherson

by  • 

andrea

Andrea Hopson

Andrea Hopson, a former vice president of Tiffany’s in Canada and her business partner Martha Grace McKinn,  will shortly open a new shop featuring tabletop items. They have chosen to locate at 1120 Yonge (at Macpherson) formerly occupied by the Patachou Patisserie. Ms. Hopson is quoted extensively in Canadian Jeweller Magazine about this new venture. She says that after 21 years with Tiffany & Co. has joined the Advisory Board at Mindham Fine Jewellery and other jewellers. But it appears her real focus a “niche luxury retail bricks and mortar and on-line business in Toronto’s Rosedale neighbourhood.” Hopson Grace will focus on entertaining with a highly curated merchandise offering of largely exclusive tabletop designs from around the globe. We will extend an elevated customer experience as we encourage Torontonians and Canadians to “‘come back to the table”. Hopson Grace plans to open in the early Spring of 2015.

Easter promotions on South Bayview include egg hunt

by  • 

COBS Bread Leaside is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt from April 3 to 6. 2015. Kids (and others) who find a lucky Easter Egg along the street or in neighbouring businesses will win a prize by redeeming it at COBs, 1539 Bayview Ave. Note that the prizes can only be redeemed at COBS Bread Leaside location during these dates. Bonnie Byford Real Estate meanwhile is offering a free Easter colouring book (while supplies last). To get one just come into the office at 1536 Bayview Ave. any time during regular business hours and pick up your free colouring book. Patrick Rocca and McDowell’s Valu mart are offering prizes in an Easter Bunny colouring contest. Pick up a blank from Bosley Real Estate or the store and submit finished work to the store by noon Saturday, April 4, 2015.

Will we rise to the challenge of Toronto Clean-up Days?

by  • 

garbage w text

As it does every year, the City of Toronto is encouraging and helping residents and business people to clean up the awful stuff found under winter’s snow. There is lots to do wherever you look although the left over ice and snow still keeps us at bay. But the time is coming. Toronto Community Clean-up Days are set this year for Saturday April 18 and Sunday April 19, 2015. The process is easy. Just pick your turf for cleaning. Hey, it cold be South Bayview on the west side between Millwood and Manor Rds. (it’s no worse than any other place but it makes the point) Get your gang of public-spirited volunteers together and register with the City.This makes it easy for workers to come and take away your blue-bagged refuse. Here’s the City’s site on how to do it. Community Clean-up days.  How about everyone who observes Earth Hour taking an hour or two to tackle this aspect of our environment?

Exchange event to be held April 18 at Leaside library

by  • 

There are many excellent events for adults and children at Leaside Public Library as Spring begins. Check the library website. One of the most interesting is a swap or exchange centre  where people can exchange items in good condition for others which  may suit their needs better.  It is set for Saturday, April 18, 2015 from noon to 3 p.m. at the library on McRae Drive. How does it work?

  1. Items limited to small accessories, i.e. wallet, small purse, coin purse, belt, scarf, hair accessories, sunglasses, bow tie,ring, necklace, bracelet, brooch, earrings, chain, pendant, charms,cuff links, tie tack, tie pin, wristwatch,jewelry. Please NO big hand bags or big purses, NO clothes.
  2. Trade for the same number or less of items you bring in. i.e., if you bring in 5 item, you can walk away with 5 or less. regardless of purchased values, only number counts.
  3. You will receive a ticket at the door confirming your donation, and the ticket will be your shopping money, which you pay back at the door when you leave.
  4. Donations need to be in nice conditions and clean
  5. Once your donation is put in swap, they are no longer yours. All leftovers will be donated to Goodwill after the Swap finishes.
  6. If two or more people interested in same item, rock/scissor/paper rules.
    Drop in, no registration required.

Leaside Smokedown a night worth planning to attend

by  • 

leaside-smokedown1Many Leaside couples will wish to save the date of Thursday May 28, 2015 so they can attend a unique charity event at Amsterdam Brewery on Esandar Rd. The Leaside Smokedown is being planned by a number of fun-loving and public-spirited residents. The collaborators include the Grilltime meat store’s Andy Elder, Cathy Hawkins of Amsterdam Brewery, music player and public speaker Tim Magwood and others. Magwood is a director of Lake Scugog Camp, a series of recreational sites where kids who need it are offered life-altering chances to learn and grow up. The camps have been in business since 1931 and have cared for thousands with a special personal attention that set the camp apart. The cook and caterer to Leaside, Andy Elder, is always eager to get his hands of a giant smoker barbecue trailer, which in this case, is owned by Councillor Jon Burnside, another collaborator. The simple themes of the party are food and music. Leaside’s Duncan Couttes of the group Our Lady Peace will be playing as will many others. Some of the events are hilarious. Amsterdam will offer a live auction prize called “Brewmaster for a day, Beer for Year.” Can you  imagine. There will also be a silent auction and other contributor-sponsors like Patrick Rocca, to help swell the final cheque to Lake Scugog Camp. Tickets  will be $100 per person when they go on sale.

 

Costco offers to include 1965 Coke building in new store

by  • 

costco now

Proposed Costco looking southeast with 1965 office seen on left facing Overlea

Costco Wholesale Corporation has changed it plans for a store at the site of the former Coca Cola bottling plant and office building at 42-46 Overlea Blvd. to include the main part of the 1965 office building in its new store. This is a change from plans published last year which called for the demolition of the old Coke headquarters. The City has placed the office on its heritage list but there was an open debate among architects as to its actual value in historic terms.  But now Costco has proposed to retain it in the plans for a warehouse store. A small original addition to the office building will still be demolished under the plan.

In announcing this Monday night at the William Lea Room, Toronto chief planner Steve Forrester said there would be many people, including city employees, who did not know of this change. It had been made only within the last few days, he said. The meeting was held to hear public input on a request by Coscto to build what it calls ancillary parking to the north and west of the proposed store beside a little used portion of Thorncliffe Park Drive.

The land is owned mainly by Ontario Hydro, which is agreeable to leasing it as parking. A smaller parcel is owned by the City of Toronto. In total it would accommodate 124 cars and be used by employees only, the meeting was told. The need for more parking comes about as result of the decision to retain the old Coke office building, which would now form the portion of the Costco building which faces Overlea. The store and the parking in the original plan have been swapped so that parking is now at the northeast end of the property at 42-46 Overlea. The retention of the office building reduced planned parking from 655 spaces to 548. The additional 124 spaces across Thorncliffe Park are required to meet the expected demand. The new store will be 160,000 square feet with the main door on the east of the building facing the parking lot. The Walter Yarwood Coca Cola sculpture will be retained in its present position in a small square on Overlea. The square now sits below grade and Costco proposes to raise it and the sculpture to ground level for ease of access to the building .

Highway 407 charging truckers twice for the same trip

by  • 

CTV News tonight is reporting that Highway 407, the privately held and operated bypass north of Toronto, is frequently charging tractor trailer operators twice for the same trip across the roadway. This occurs because 407 detectors are counting the truck once by the sensor in the windshield and a second time by photographing  its rear license plate. It isn’t clear why this happens but Highway 407 has acknowledged it privately to truckers. Such trucking firms say they have to carefully go through all charges to separate out the second billing. It amounts to tens of thousands of dollars a month. One company was sworn to secrecy about the problem when it received a rebate. Another firm has been notified by the Transportation Department that its plates will be de-registered with the government if it doesn’t pays its bills, legal or otherwise. More