The South Bayview Bulldog

Dan Kelly is a vice president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. He has written an excellent primer for both storekeepers and consumers who wish to keep down the cost of transactions, and ultimately keep down prices. There is a connection. The phenomenon is as recent as the banks starting to issue so-called premium cards which carry charges of as much as three per cent to the retailer. Here is some of Kelly’s advice: “Take this test. Which MasterCard do you think would cost more to accept: a) President’s Choice MasterCard or b) Capital One Cash Back Gold MasterCard? For Visa, which is more costly: a) Royal Bank Visa Infinite Avion or b) CIBC Aerogold Visa? If you answered a) for each, then you did better than the merchants CFIB tested in a short telephone survey. Words like Gold, Platinum, Cash Back or Points do not mean the card necessarily costs anything extra to a merchant. However, words such as World or World Elite on your MasterCard likely mean the merchant is paying among the highest fees out there.” Read Dan Kelly’s column

Moms-to-be-and-more will celebrate its 17th anniversary on October 20, 2011. The large baby and children’s store on the northwest corner of Bayview and Manor Road will offer a discount that represents the amount of the sales tax (13 percent). Moms-to-be started out on the east side of Bayview but later moved to its present location when the Submarine sandwich shop closed. Happy anniversary MTBAM.

First Capital Realty Inc., the developer of the old railway land on Laird Drive, is buying the Yorkville shopping complex Hazelton Lanes. As the linked Globe and Mail story recounts, Hazelton is the site of many upscale businesses such as a Whole Foods grocery store. It is however a potentially risky venture. While enormously chic, Hazelton Lanes has had chronic difficulty attracting and holding a lot of regular visitors. The grocery store has helped. It went in at the same time as the charming curving hallways of the Lanes were straightened, frankly, to make it easier to find one’s way. The Laird Drive site, known as Leaside Village, is set to open in 2012.

Horticultural Design at 1610 South Bayview will be open continuously through to Christmas, genial owner Michael has announced. Right now the shop is dressed up for Halloween and other Autumn goods and items. Left, something “scary” and right, quality Amaryllis bulbs for planting or gift giving.

From Child Mode: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, today announced a voluntary recall of approximately 58,000 of IKEA’s BUSA children’s folding tents due to laceration and puncture hazards. The tent is dangerous as the steel wire frame of the tent can break, producing sharp wire ends that can protrude through the tent fabric, posing a laceration or puncture hazard. So far three incidents and one injury have been reported. This recall involves the BUSA cube-shaped children’s folding tent with model number 90192009. The brand name BUSA and IKEA and the model number are printed on a sewn-in label attached to an interior seam in the tent. The tent frame is made of flat steel wire and the tent material is pale green polyester fabric with turquoise, pink and white trim. The tent’s dimensions are: L 28 1/4, W 28 1/4, H 28 1/4.

The tent was sold exclusively at: IKEA stores nationwide from August 2011 through September 2011 for about $8. It is recommended that you take the tent away from children and return it to their nearest IKEA store for a full refund.