The South Bayview Bulldog

The small privately-owned grocery store where you could buy fresh fruit, vegetables and fresh meat disappeared a long time ago it seems. The last of such stores we can recall around here was the Davisville Mini Mart at Davisville Ave. and Cleveland St. It expired in 2010. And while these little corner stores could never make a comeback among residences, their concept may live on after a fashion on Bayview Ave. and elsewhere. How else to account for Rowe Farms Meat inclusion of vegetables, fruit and prepared goods with its meat in the daily offering. Rowe is sustained by multiple outlets to be sure. For many decades stand-alone fruit stores (Badali, Passion Fruit) have found a niche. But you never see a fresh sausage or lamb chop in there. Across the street at Cumbrae’s, where the cutlets seem to look at customers with a superior eye (and price) you will never find a beet or stalk of celery. Now another variation on a theme as Loblaws has introduced a pilot scheme of meat, fresh produce and other perishables into the food section at its Shoppers Drug Mart subsidiary. You won’t find this one on Bayview yet but at the Shopper’s on Dundas St. W. near Jane St. and Runnymede Rd. customers can buy a package of three boneless centre cut pork chops for $7, three beefsteak tomatoes for $4.49 or a 250-gram prepared shrimp Nicoise salad for $7.99. Fresh sushi is delivered daily. You get the idea. Well, the competition was never more intense for food shoppers. We must wait to see if the Drug Mart groceteria makes it to affluent South Bayview.