This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
After many closures in the 2000s, private clubs have been making a comeback since the pandemic. These spaces, which are both bars and places for co-working and meeting, are now intended to be modern and less elitist.
At Club St-Denis 257 SE, it’s impossible to miss the photo of Queen Elizabeth II taken here in 1976. After 135 years of existence, the previous Club St-Denis closed in 2009 due to the economic crisis that had significantly reduced its number of members. Denis Lefebvre was among the last to join. A great fan of the concept, he opened a new club at the same address in 2023. “Private clubs in Montreal are now full and new formulas are emerging,” notes his daughter Alex-Ann, co-owner. In the space of a year, the club already has one hundred members.
It was in the 19th centurye century that private clubs appeared in Quebec, in the wake of the English bourgeoisie. These places closed to the public are only accessible to their members, politicians or big industrialists, who meet there to exchange and do business. But if these clubs were favorite places for the most well-off for a century, they had recently lost their goodwill. Club 357c thus closed in 2019 following “changes in business habits” – the address had also been cited during the hearings of the Charbonneau Commission. In Quebec City since the 1980s, only one private club has remained, the Cercle de la Garnison.
Concepts that stand out
Then there was the pandemic, which made people want to see each other again. “Workers no longer have an office but still want to get together a few times a week,” notes Alex-Ann Lefebvre. The effect of the pandemic is also undeniable for Sandrine Balthazard, founder of Le Parloir, which opened in 2017 in Montreal: “There is a real resurgence of interest in private clubs. People are looking for the community aspect.”
The name of her establishment comes from the one that the bourgeoisie gave to the room in the house intended for receiving and entertaining. “The densification of cities reduces our living spaces. My club therefore allows us to maintain this room, for rent outside of our homes. It is a community parlor,” explains the businesswoman. The pandemic has created a desire to meet up, but also to build long-term relationships with people with whom we share values or interests. The private club is conducive to this, because it gives us the chance to see the same group of people regularly.”
Le Parloir, which attracts wine collectors, also offers private cellars, where each member can store up to 100 bottles. Club St-Denis 257 SE, for its part, stands out for its emphasis on art. “All our walls are decorated with works by local artists,” says Alex-Ann Lefebvre. “It’s busy, but it opens the creative mind.”
Doing business differently
In addition to offering a network of partner clubs abroad and organizing networking evenings, some addresses provide a gym, golf course or wellness center. The goal: to do business differently. While more recent clubs offer meal trays in collaboration with caterers, the older ones generally have a chef on site — or even a sommelier, as at Club St-James.
“Private clubs are hybrids: you can come to work or socialize, day or night,” summarizes Sandrine Balthazard. “Some come to conduct interviews or negotiate a contract, others to share a good bottle. The friendly side is conducive to doing business, and the setting is less formal than a meeting room. That’s how people want to do business today.”
This desire to anchor itself in more modern customs is also seen in the abandonment of the codes that have governed these places for decades. Some clubs, for example, require the wearing of jackets, do not tolerate sports shoes, ban the use of computers after 6 p.m. and even the taking of photos.
While these rules are still in use in some clubs, the most recent ones have discarded them to move away from the elitist label they were often saddled with. “The private club had a bad reputation because of its old-fashioned side, its stiff protocol,” thinks Sandrine Balthazard. “It needed to be democratized and its image refreshed.” This includes integrating women, who were banned from private clubs until the 1970s, before being tolerated there – sometimes with a separate entrance from that of men. Le Parloir boasts that 30% of its 600 members are women.
Filtered clientele
However, the profile of the members of most clubs changes little, except for the gender: they are mainly people from the business world, politicians and public figures, who appreciate being able to come without being solicited. Exclusivity requires that the clubs do not have a storefront. You enter with a code or via a biometric detector. A little side speakeasy which ensures discretion.
Membership fees are generally $1,500 annually — more depending on the service — and a background check is done for each membership application. Most clubs require that a new member be recommended by a former member. “Members are thus guarantors for each other,” explains the founder of Le Parloir. “It filters the clientele to ensure good cohesion.”
Sandrine Balthazard also makes sure to be very present and to connect her members. “You have to maintain your community; otherwise, the club is just a place with beautiful furniture…” Le Parloir also makes sure to limit its clientele so that everyone “feels like a VIP”. And the demand is there; the director has also set up an expansion plan, which includes a terrace and a larger cellar. A waiting list now receives new membership applications; except for women, who have priority. The end of boys clubs ?
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.