Frites Lesage, Le 281, Fairmount Bagel, the Guérin bookstore and even La Boîte Noire!
If 13 signs illuminate the entrance to the new Montreal Memories Center (MEM) 24 hours a day, it is largely thanks to Matt Soar.
The day before the inauguration of museum dedicated to Montreal, the professor from Concordia University gave us a guided tour through the collection of signs that adorn the walls of two buildings on the magnificent Loyola campus, rue Sherbrooke Ouest.
About fifteen years ago, Matt Soar founded the Montreal Sign Project with archivist Nancy Marrelli. With the help of students, they recovered and restored storefronts that are part of the history and soul of Montreal – including the famous Warshaw store on Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the famous Bens restaurant, closed in 2006.
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PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Matt Soar, professor at Concordia University behind the Montreal Sign Project
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Frites Lesage brand
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PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
All signs, including Warshaw, are listed on the Montreal Sign Project website.
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Catherine Charlebois, section head and chief curator of the MEM (formerly the Montreal History Center), asked Matt Soar for a big favor, namely that a dozen brands move from Loyola to the Quartier des spectacles to brighten up everything in splendor the entrance hall of the new museum.
“Catherine and I share the idea that culture can be ordinary,” explains Matt Soar.
We can tell the story other than by rich and famous men. The signs tell the story of the lives of workers, of everyday life, and it is very revealing of the history of Montreal.
Matt Soar, professor at Concordia University and co-founder of the Montreal Sign Project
After all, what would the gateway to downtown from the Bonaventure Expressway be without the illuminated red letters of Farine Five Roses? The Smuckers company also gave in to popular pressure and kept the famous neon when it acquired the rights to the brand. She even invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to get it in good condition. It is not a simple sign, but an emblem of Montreal’s industrial heritage.
“I was the first to learn about Montreal from the brands,” says Matt Soar. The American of origin notably had a crash course on law 101 by seeing that paint hid “since” replaced by “since” on certain facades.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Buywell, a downtown Montreal institution for 85 years, counted René Lévesque and Mordecai Richler among its clients.
From one brand to another
But how did the brands come to Matt Soar? “I was interested in the concept of hypercommercialism,” says the adopted Quebecer who left the state of Massachusetts 20 years ago to join the Concordia faculty. In 2007 he organized a conference called Logo Cites in which we presented a documentary by Gary Hustwit on the Helvetica font. There were also three old signs borrowed for the occasion: those of the Warshaw (preserved by the Friends of Boulevard Saint-Laurent), the Monkland Tavern (in English) and the fruit shop of the Hand Simcha (today in the offices of the Pop Montréal festival).
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The magnificent Loyola campus, Sherbrooke Street West
The interest was so great that Matt Soar suggested that Concordia University make it a collection project. It was without knowing that the most rewarding aspect would be revealed through the stories and memories that people tell him. The photographer of The Press Patrick Sanfaçon quickly plunged back into his childhood memories when he saw the sign of Mars, a dark and somewhat dirty store on rue Sainte-Catherine where they sold comic books and records.
For us, it was extremely nostalgic to see the signs of the Steinberg grocery store and even 281 again! And what about the letters from Rapido, a restaurant where we ended up so many times at the end of the evening over poutine with friends in another life.
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PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Matt Soar got his hands on the Rapido sign, under which students from Concordia University meet.
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PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The Steinberg sign
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PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
The Montreal Sign Project warehouse
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Matt Soar and his team continue to collect signs (we were even able to visit the warehouse where they are accumulated). Word gets around, but like Marketplace, it’s often pick up now or never. It also happens that families make donations to him. In 2020, members of the Steinbergs gave him a sign from their famous grocery chain, which closed in 1992.
Many brands were heading for trash even though they are so rich in history, points out Matt Soar. The history of Montreal, but also of families, immigrants and lifestyle habits that no longer exist (like going to rent a film at La Boîte Noire!).
It’s a reminder of the past. Memories, nostalgia… but it also refers to places that have had meaning in our lives and in our relationships with others.
Matt Soar, professor at Concordia University and co-founder of the Montreal Sign Project
“Thousands of people frequented these businesses and restaurants, it was their daily life,” argues Matt Soar.
The MEM will be open to the public from October 6 at 1210, boulevard Saint-Laurent. As for the Loyola campus of Concordia University, it is located at 7141 Sherbrooke Street West.