Probably there are no more heads and fingers in Mayfair than there used to be. For sure, though, there are more beauty salons and nail shops.

Along Frankford Avenue between Bleigh and Levick, and in the blocks immediately off it, more than a dozen beauty shops have sprouted up, sometimes right next to each other.

Perhaps neighborhood women are looking better than ever. But to some long-time occupants, it doesn't look good. A growth in cut-rate salons, along with dollar stores and check-cashing outlets, threatens to crowd out a broader range of neighborhood merchants, they charge.

"It may be particularly hard for me, because I'm in the same business," says Lois Burak, proprietor of Beautyworks. "But too many of the same kind of shop sends a bad message to the street."

Burak and other merchants are dialoguing with Councilwoman Joan Krajewski and the Mayfair CDC to explore possibilities for new business

regulations in that area. One step could be to write an ordinance limiting further growth in certain kinds of enterprises. A similar ordinance governs parts of Germantown Avenue and they would like to use it as a model for Frankford Avenue.

Another option is establishment of a Business Improvement District. This could fund extra street cleaning and security services for the commercial corridor.

People in Mayfair don't take business survival for granted. Some commercial properties on the strip have received handsome upgrading in recent years. Interspersed, though, are vacant stores and buildings that show signs of stalled rehabilitation projects.

"You try as hard as you can and you show pride in your block," said Mitchell Sussman, owner of Moe's Deli, which has been an anchor on the Avenue for generations. "Then you look around at the signs of neglect and you start to ask yourself if it's worth it to keep investing here."

Competition is normally a good thing. But too many businesses chasing the same pool of customers can lead to merchants that shirk State and City licensing requirements and scrimp on physical plant investment. Shabby, cut-rate stores in turn can discourage more substantial merchants from moving to an area.

Some business owners who were interviewed believed Mayfair CDC was making direct efforts to improve the appearance and condition of the Frankford Avenue commercial strip. Others disputed that, saying the CDC had not responded to their input. The Mayfair CDC did not reply to repeated telephone calls from this newspaper as press time approached.

Krajewski's staff has begun to research these concerns. The first step will be to arrange a personal meeting with business owners so the Councilwoman can figure out if there is a consensus on problems, said Krajewski's aide Patti-Pat Kozlowski. Then different legislative remedies can be looked at.