The South Bayview Bulldog

Frank Perri opened Vascada Salon at 1661 Bayview in 2004 and since then he and his talented staff of stylists and hair cutters haven’t looked back. “We try to maintain an unpretentious and comfortable atmospshere. A downtown, uptown feeling,” said Frank as he moved between clients this week. From the bustling business and sizable clientele base it appears he’s succeeded. Frank is proud of his associates and the environmentally friendly line of Aveda products sold at Vescada. The salon is open Tuesday to Saturday on South Bayview, just north of Fleming Crescent (Manor Road on the west side of Bayview). Vescada specializes in both ladies and mens’ hair cutting. Left to right at Vescada: Rachel, Kryssy, Gemma, Frank, Emma and Carole. 

Among all the Japanese products we know and use the Takata airbag is largely unknown. But for millions of owners of major Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, the Takata airbag is right there in front of them every day. Now Takata, the world second largest supplier of airbags and seat belts, and these car makers, have recalled some 3.4 million vehicles around the world because of concerns that some of the airbags might catch fire or cause injury. Engineers say the airbag for the front passenger seat may not inflate correctly because of a manufacturing defect in the propellant used in the airbag inflator. As a result, there is a risk of fires starting or of passengers being injured by metal fragments shooting up toward the windshield or down into the passenger foot well. So far there have been no reports of such injuries occurring. Takata said it learned of the problem from an automaker it did not identify in October 2011 after an airbag deployment in Japan. It learned of a Honda accident in Puerto Rico the following month, according to documents filed with U.S. safety regulators. From February 2012 through June last year, Takata could not reproduce the problem in testing, but that autumn the supplier was alerted to three additional incidents – two in Puerto Rico and one in Maryland – according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By October 2012, Takata concluded it was possible that the propellant in certain wafers made at its plant in Moses Lake, Washington, might be inadequately compressed, which could lead to the rupture, according to NHTSA documents. By March this year, it also discovered that some wafers used in inflators made at a plant in Monclova, Mexico, for a year ending in late October 2002 may have been exposed to excess moisture, which could lead to a rupture, according to the NHTSA documents. Takata is aware of only six cases where an inflator ruptured in vehicles in the field – four in the United States and two in Japan – as well as six cases in salvage yards in Japan, according to NHTSA documents.

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.