It was proudly worn by host Pierre Brassard and comedian Korine Côté, and it will even be worn by one of the characters in the film. Mile End Kickscurrently filming in Montreal.
We’re not talking about a garment from a luxurious or trendy brand. Rather, a t-shirt from… La Maison de l’Aspirateur!
“To be honest, if you knew how it is for me, it’s almost incomprehensible,” says owner Stéphane Dumais.
Yet it was he who suggested to his former boss that employees wear a T-shirt with the company logo of an elephant with a vacuum cleaner handle as a trunk instead of a shirt. He did not anticipate that this would create customer demand.
A dozen years later, there is a real craze around the retro-charming T-shirts from La Maison de l’Aspirateur, which can be ordered online from anywhere in Quebec for the low price of $24.99. “We sell 600 of them a year,” says Stéphane Dumais, who can certainly boast of having a good marketing flair.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
In addition to t-shirts, we sell hats and caps.
I always loved the logo and relied on it.
Stéphane Dumais, owner of The Vacuum Cleaner House
Emotional attachment
It has become routine, but Stéphane Dumais still pinches himself when people come in unexpectedly with an embarrassed smile asking if they can buy a t-shirt. That’s without counting the passers-by who take pictures of themselves in front of the window every day.
Recently, a friend from Pittsburgh who was on a cruise sent him a photo of a passenger wearing his House of Vacuum Cleaner t-shirt.
But the name of the man who designed the logo about 25 years ago remains a great mystery. The only requirement that the owner at the time (a certain Lucien Lafortune) had was that it not cost much, relates Stéphane Dumais. However, the logo is officially registered as a trademark.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The window display attracts attention.
Stéphane Dumais also points out that an old sign for La Maison de l’Aspirateur is located at the MEM museum — Centre des mémoires montréalaises. The colours are different because it was for an industrial subdivision (which became Capt-Air).
As a resident of the neighborhood for nearly 30 years, I have seen this logo become legendary. It has practically become the Mile End logo!
Hélène Godin, president of the La Factry school of creativity sciences
According to the design expert, it is a logo that is both simple and figurative, which is “a witness to a historical past”, “which makes you smile” and “which recalls childhood”, thus arousing an emotional attachment. In addition, it is displayed in a sensitive location, under the Van Horne viaduct in front of the skateboard park.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The Vacuum Cleaner House is located at 5860, boulevard Saint-Laurent.
In a movie
Most recently, the film’s production team Mile End Kicksfilming in the neighborhood of the same name, asked Stéphane Dumais if one of the characters could wear the t-shirt of the “proud partner of your household since 1938” on screen.
Signed by Chandler Levack, the synopsis of Mile End Kicks is very… Mile End. The film tells the story of the arrival in Montreal in 2011 of a young rock critic (played by Barbie Feirerra, from the series Euphoria) who wants to write a book about Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill, but who gets caught in a love triangle with two musicians from the same indie-rock band…
All this to say that the House of the Vacuum Cleaner t-shirt may be going… to Hollywood!
Who knows, maybe one day it will be on sale on the Simons website like the St-Viateur Bagel bags are.
Good old fashioned customer service
La Maison de l’Aspirateur has a store in Laval and another in Saint-Léonard. The original one, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, dates back to 1938, but it first occupied the space of the former Maison des encans before moving north to a street corner.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
A customer receives advice from employee Amine Ouerk.
The longevity of La Maison de l’Aspirateur is explained by the excellence of its customer service, believes Stéphane Dumais. “Here, we take the customer by the hand. We offer the same prices as elsewhere, but when you leave with your box, you know the machine and its maintenance from A to Z.”
People have a warranty on the products they buy and the longer term assurance that their vacuum cleaner can be repaired, which is quite reassuring in this era of planned obsolescence and online commerce on Amazon.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Luc David is part of the team of repairers who work in the back room.
While Stéphane Dumais can now count on 17 employees, he started out as a simple salesman. It was after 14 years of loyal service that he agreed in 2020 with the former owner – André Rouette – to take over, while at the same time pursuing a career as a hypnotist. “I have a great attachment to the company… and the logo! There is something magical about thinking that a business has lasted for 86 years.”
“When I was young, it wasn’t in my plans to own a vacuum cleaner store,” he jokes.
But what an adventure… and what a t-shirt!
“The most beautiful t-shirt in the universe,” we can read on the website of La Maison de l’Aspirateur.