A TV show about a dog detective recently managed to fool a St. John’s neighborhood — and even a city inspector. The city said Friday it received a complaint from a resident on Gower Street downtown on Aug. 10 about an illegal hair salon — called Curl Up & Dye, according to a sign in the front window — located in a neighboring home. After an inspector investigated, the city sent a letter to the homeowners to say they had to apply to the city for proper certification — or face fines and legal action. But Curl Up & Dye doesn’t actually exist — the painted “storefront” is actually part of a set for the CityTV TV show Hudson & Rex, which is filmed in and around St. John’s. Homeowners Anne Pickard-Vaandering and Julian Vaandering find the whole situation very amusing. “We were just laughing. It was clearly an oversight, an honest mistake,” Julian Vaandering said on Friday. On Monday, the couple was surprised to find a letter from the city that said an inspector “revealed that it appears Curl Up & Dye Beauty Salon is operating a portion of the building without permits and a certificate of occupancy.” The letter instructed the couple to complete a business application, with a floor plan of the occupied space. Failure to comply, the city wrote, meant possible fines, legal action and a potential lien on the property Pickard-Vaandering said the couple immediately responded to the city to clear up the misunderstanding.
The Fake Curl Up & Dye Beauty Salon
Curl Up & Dye Beauty Salon is a fictional business used during the filming of Hudson & Rex in St. John’s. The “showcase” was so convincing that it fooled a neighbor and a city inspector. The couple love the painted Curl Up & Dye sign and even posted a poll on Facebook asking people if they should keep it for a while after filming ends. “Overwhelmingly people said, ‘Yeah, keep it, that’s hilarious, it adds to the neighborhood.’ That alone was enough to make so many laugh. We thought it was such a scream,” Pickard-Vaandering said. The house was actually once a beauty salon years ago, called Elegant Beauty Salon. Pickard-Vaandering said other salons filled the space before this one, dating back to the 1940s, but since the couple took ownership it’s just been their home.
“Looked legit”
The City of St. John’s declined to be interviewed, but said in a statement that the inspector assigned to the complaint visited the property and “through his assessment determined that it was possible a business was operating without permits.” The city said inspection staff use “a variety of tools” when investigating complaints before taking action. “In this situation, it appeared to be a legal and justified action. The window sign looks real and there is an Open/Closed sign on the door window and there was nothing in the area [stated] this business was a set for a shooting,” the city said. “In addition, the name ‘Curl Up and Dye’ is a legal business in other provinces.” Curl Up & Dye is not a real business, but it received a real warning from the city of St. John’s. (Zach Goudie/CBC) The city dismissed the complaint, but said if the Vaanderings want to keep their sign, it should be reviewed by the city to make sure it meets the city’s heritage guidelines. The Vaanderings said the town has been a good sport about the whole ordeal and they hope the council and superintendent can laugh as much as they do. “We’re really, really happy that so many people got such a good laugh out of it,” Pickard-Vaandering said. “There have been a few negative comments about the town, but we take it all with a grain of salt because the laughs from it all far outweigh any negativity the curious person might have had about the town. To the town’s credit, they responded.” Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
