Toronto Star Profiles City Bylaw Fiasco That Unfairly Hurts Small Business Owners

Jim Byers featured the story of local small business owners fighting to get their A-frame signs back from the city only to be told that they can’t put them out because the sidewalk is too narrow.

We feel for them. On north Avenue Road, we are facing the similar problems. The bylaw officers have told us that we can’t even put our A-fram sign on private property in front of our shop. This, to us, is insane. 

Once again, lots of enforcement of bylaws by city of Toronto inspectors; little services from the city for the high commercial property taxes that we pay.

Andrea Swinton
www.takeaboo.com

HGTV Ambrose Price Show Shoots Episode At Take-A-Boo Emporium

“The Decorating Adventures of Ambrose Price” is coming to HGTV in fall 2008. Ambrose was a designer contestant on the recent Designer Superstar Challenge.  Although he did not win the title of Designer Superstar, he caught the producer’s attention and a new show was conceived.

An episode the new show is being shot in the shop today with Martin appearing as an expert judge. Tune into the show in the fall to see the episode.

Andrea Swinton
www.takeaboo.com

 

Stories From Our Black Books features Take-A-Boo Owners

Carissa Reiniger has turned her smashing book Stories From Our Black Books into a play.

We love the book because it featured the story of our first date (see “Martin” page 141 ). The play started May 8th at Six Degrees (2335 Yonge Street). Check it out. We’ll have to see if our story has been included.

Andrea Swinton
www.takeaboo.com

Martin Swinton appears on Rogers Television’s Goldhawk Live

Martin appears as a panelist tonight at 9pm on Goldhawk Live. The topic is “Does Toronto need tighter garage sale laws?” Garage sales shopping tips  is a topic we know something about. I expect Martin to have lots to say.

Andrea Swinton
www.takeaboo.com

City of Toronto “Sign Police” out of control

The city of Toronto’s city inspectors are hyper vigilant in enforcing city bylaws with respect to A-frame signs and garbage removal. These laws unfairly target small mom and pop merchants. 

A recent article in the Toronto Star highlights problems for mom and pop merchants in The Junction area of Toronto. 

This article hit home for us as we and other merchants on north Avenue Road have felt the heavy hand of city inspectors. My letter to the editor on this topic appeared in today’s paper.

I could go on at length about the lack of services that is disproportionate  to the taxes we pay and the fact that Martin spends time each day sweeping leaves in spring and fall, shovelling snow in the winter to generally keeping the walkways decent and passable.

Martin’s out there so much cleaning the front area of our block that one day a security guard from the CIBC , a few doors down from us, mistook him for a city worker and demanded that Martin clean the walkway in front of the bank!

Can’t recall the last time we saw a city worker cleaning up Avenue Road, yet we see the city inspectors regularly.

Andrea Swinton
www.takeaboo.com