Saint Laurent Market | A reinvented gift shop in Old Montreal

In the heart of Old Montreal, Marché Saint Laurent is a new boutique-café that offers beautiful objects and souvenirs from Quebec.

Olivia Levy
The Press

A few meters from the Notre-Dame basilica, on the Place d’Armes, when you enter the Marché Saint Laurent shop, you marvel at these objects, so familiar and so new at the same time. Beavers, whales, foxes, caribou and wooden and cardboard bears hold our attention. There are also “Montréalais.e” t-shirts and cotton sweatshirts, cups and glasses in the style vintagenicely bottled maple syrup, “Montreal” canvas bags that you want to have under your arm or even CDs or vinyl records by Diane Dufresne and Pierre Lapointe.

“It’s a reinvented gift shop that offers objects made by local designers and artisans. A shop that also reflects Quebec culture,” explains Florence Girod, who opened the Saint Laurent Market this summer.

“And as its name suggests, it is a market whose products will evolve with the seasons. In the fall, we will notably add toques, mittens, scarves,” she says.

An offer to reinvent

Florence Girod works at Cossette, one of the largest communications and advertising agencies in Quebec, and her job as a strategist helps her in this new context. She has worked for 15 years with the Alliance de l’industrie touristique du Québec and knows the different clienteles who come to visit the province. “I have seen the tourism industry transform to make Quebec a destination that competes well internationally with a great offer of experiences, but the offer of souvenirs has not evolved,” she observes. .

And what are tourists looking for? “Europeans have a great stay, they go along the St. Lawrence, go see the whales, go to the Saguenay, they immerse themselves in nature and want to bring back things that evoke the territory, the animals, the river. North Americans who come for shorter stays like clothes, designer items, groceries. There are also newcomers who settle here, foreign students, Montrealers who want to treat themselves to a beautiful object or bring it as a gift to friends. »

Of French origin, Florence Girod arrived in Quebec in 2002. She believes that she has a different perspective. “I always have the perspective of a tourist. I see that animals are a wealth, that maple syrup is so extraordinary, just like the river. This store is also a way to celebrate my 20 years in Quebec. »

Florence Girod created her “Marché Saint Laurent” brand and notably offers t-shirts, bags, pennants, wooden key rings, posters and magnets with expressions such as “Tire-toi une bûche”, “Partir sur la go” , “Sitting on your steak”. “Language is a very strong element when you are a visitor to Quebec. Language surprises us, charms us, so there are objects that reflect language. »

It also showcases local artisans and designers. “There is great creativity, so it’s important to have access to it in a point of sale in the heart of Old Montreal. »

Objects with a story

One of the particularities of the shop is that there are souvenirs vintage. “I like the idea that we can buy used objects that are part of the history of Quebec, through Expo 67 and the Olympic Games. There have been objects whose design is extraordinary. There are still a few in flea markets, it flies right away! »

And for the experience to be complete, the shop also offers coffees and pastries.

She leads this project with her husband, Olivier Miotto, co-owner of the Glam hair salon. “I have experience in brand building and marketing, and Olivier is a retailer, we complement each other well. »

His ambition? Make the Saint Laurent Market an essential destination in Old Montreal, where you can find a concentrate of all forms of Quebec culture.

She bets correctly. We left buying four glasses vintage of Expo 67!