The revival of Laurier West
TVA looks at what it calls the revival of Laurier West – the whole stretch between Côte‑Ste‑Catherine and St‑Laurent.
The writer claims that the only chains present are Première Moisson and Columbus Café, but what are the SAQ, Multimags, Toi Moi et Café and Mandy’s, if not chains? But it’s true, there are a lot of independents along the stretch as well.
jeather 15:42 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
I haven’t been there in a while because the last time I went it was empty and dismal, but it would be nice if it revived.
Ian 16:25 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
There are still lots of empty places but it doesn’t seem to be actively struggling to survive like it has been. The half finished hotel is a real eyesore, though.
Ian 17:06 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
ps. the banks, the dope store and the glasses store would count as chains too, I would imagine? I don’t know if Toi Moi & Café would count though as I believe thaat’s the original location, and just as much a part of theneighbourhood as Arahova is on Saint Viateur.
carswell 18:40 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
There’s also L’Occitane, Orangetheory Fitness, Provi-Soir, Memoria funeral salon, Proxim drug store and a couple of clothing boutiques (e.g. Billie le kid, La Canadienne). Even Dieu du ciel, with its pub in St-Jérôme, is now arguably a chain.
DeWolf 18:43 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
There are plenty of chains along there. Along with the ones Kate mentioned, there’s La Canadienne, Au Pain Doré, Fiorellino and Siboire, just off the top of my head. Renaud-Bray is on Park but it’s part of the Laurier ecosystem.
I’d love to see a bit of a refresh for the Mile End side of the street. It’s very wide and there’s a painted median. Imagine if that was an actual median with trees.
I went to Toi Moi et Café for the first time in many years and was pleased to see it hasn’t changed a bit.
There are lots of good watering holes along there. Pelican is a bit gentrified but it still has a dive bar atmosphere, and it still has regulars who have been going there since the days when it was the Taverne de la Veuve Wilson, aka La Wil. It was a hangout for hardcore indépendantistes (eg actual FLQ members) in the 60s. They’d probably be shocked at how anglo it is today.
Dieu du Ciel has always been one of my favourite spots and while the renovation is a bit controversial, it still feels the same, except a little more relaxed because there’s more space. And the beer is just as good as ever.
DeWolf 18:48 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
@carswell
We must have been writing our comments at the same time! There’s also Première Moisson.
I would argue that DDC isn’t a chain because its St-Jérôme location is mainly a production brewery that produces cans for the retail market, and it still brews a lot of beer on Laurier Street. So its second location is more of a natural outflow of the original rather than a replication.
Siboire, on the other hand, definitely has chain vibes. It has two locations in Sherbrooke, another on the way in Quebec City, and the vibe is a bit more corporate: you can tell everything is standardized and vetted by some sort of marketing team.
Ian 18:51 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
As much as Toi, Moi is, sure. I didn’t realize the gym was a chain. I still miss the bostok and abricotines at Gascogne – which was also a chain, to be fair.
That said the storefront that used to be Laurier BBQ is empty again, the former sushi place next to the Pelican is still empty, the place that was Mikado is still empty, the old Glatt butcher/ boutique hotel is still “under construciton”, there’s some kid’s clothing stores further west that have been empty for almost 20 years now …
That said I think that somehow the BMO moving to the corner of Parc really helped anchor that intersection, and the SQDC is a great fit for across the street form the park. Where Parc still seems to be perpetually struggling, Laurier has an air of having come through the worst of it. It’s hard to put a finger on it, but it seems like a neighbourhood in flux rather than on the brink of decline. I haven’t lived right on Laurier for over 10 years now but it’s still part of my immediate neighbourhood and I’ve seen its ups and downs first hand. Especially west of Jeanne-Mance it used to feel like a fussy street meant to cater to Outremont residents whose glory had faded – but it feels much more in-the-present now.
carswell 19:31 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
Haven’t spent time in St-Jérôme in years, DeWolf, so I’ll take your word for it while also noting that the DdC website makes it seem pretty pub-like, with an extensive food and beer menu, leather banquettes (to go by the pic) and talk about group reservations. https://dieuduciel.com/pub-stjerome/
Agree about Siboire, though it’s technically on Laurier Est.
Ian 20:27 on 2024-01-28 Permalink
Siboire’s address is on St Larry, not Laurier – as long as we’re being technical.
DeWolf 02:12 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
@carswell Yes, to be clear there’s always been a brewpub there, ever since they opened the production brewery. And the rebranding/renovation of recent years makes the whole business feel a little more corporate even if there’s been no change of ownership. But the St-Jérôme pub wasn’t opened as a branch so much as an adjunct to the production brewery.
I’m probably just splitting hairs.
Meezly 13:10 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Thanks for that tidbit of history about the Pelican location, @DeWolf.
The Avenue SDC Laurier West merchant association has probably helped in the revival. It’s a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Avenue Laurier West as a commercial destination. They also organize cultural events – I wanted to check out the Christmas festivities in December, but didn’t make it.
Ian 20:31 on 2024-01-29 Permalink
Whn it was still L’Autre Bar it was still very French, and a LOT more of those guys hung out there.
I’m just glad the owners of the Pelican got rid of the VLTs. Those things ruin any vibe.
DeWolf 17:16 on 2024-01-30 Permalink
@Meezly, I went to their little Christmas shindig in front of the church and Engels & Völkers was giving out free sausages and baguettes, and DDC had a bar that was handing out free marshmallows for roasting over bonfires. It was a good time.
@Ian Yes, there are tons of good dive bars in this city that are ruined by VLTs. It always adds a sad edge to what could otherwise be a nice chill spot.