Pandemic. E-commerce and megacenters. Inflation. Labor shortage. There is no shortage of traumatic shocks for the shopping streets of Quebec. With the series Our streets on foot, The duty therefore assesses the resilience of some of them using a walking approach. Last walk: rue Victoria, in Saint-Lambert.
The pandemic? What pandemic?
The manager of Castonguay Sports, at one end of Victoria Street in Saint-Lambert, puts it bluntly: not only has the socio-sanitary crisis not harmed his bicycle business, on the contrary, it has stimulated his business and boosts sales of products and services.
“Our sector has nothing to complain about,” summarizes François, who does not want to give his full name. He confides near his cash drawer, between two customers. He explains that he closed shop for only ten days during the very first confinement of spring 2020. The Quebec government then added bicycle sellers and repairers to the list of essential services.
“Many people who are confined or working from home cycled more or started to do so in 2020 and 2021. For the past few months, inflation and the rise in the price of gasoline are still helping us. »
It now serves young couples who had two cars, who ditch one and take up electric bikes to get around town or go to work. “I use mine to get to a friend’s house near the Bell Center in twenty minutes,” says François proudly.
The report also remains in good shape at the neighboring shop, Chez Nous Chez Vous, which offers design or decorative objects and some very tasteful clothes. “We serve a local clientele,” explains the owner, Sophie Leclair. We had a great 2021. People were home and they decorated. They did not spend on vacation. All of this helped us. »
The year 2022 promises to be a little less profitable. Inflation is felt. The city empties in July and on weekends. The shop closes on Sundays, and Mme Leclair is “working on the offer and secret projects” to continue to attract customers.
So everything is going for the best on Victoria? Yes and no. The pandemic crisis has nevertheless hit hard and continues to have certain bad effects everywhere. It has forced traders to multiply finds and aids to stay afloat.
Christine Vaillancourt, of Maison Lambert, which sells fairly luxurious women’s clothing, including to regional customers, explains that she has gone through hard times with government aid for salaries, rent, and even with a loan. “Without that, I would have gone into a lot of debt,” says the shopkeeper. For the past few months, business has been picking up much like in 2019.”
Just across from Castonguay Sport, La Piazzetta, like the other restaurants visited, suffered intermittent closures and attempted to compensate with takeout.
“It was a tough time, but the loyal clientele saved us,” explains the manager, Annie Levasseur, whom we met last Wednesday after the busy lunch hour. She has worked at the Piazzetta for 23 years.
Business is better without Mme Levasseur speaks of a full return to the pre-pandemic norm. The room and the terrace fill up with customers at lunchtime and in the evening, but the lack of staff (the company employs around thirty people) is felt, particularly in the kitchen. La Piazzetta therefore now closes on Sundays and earlier in the evening, around 9 p.m., 10 p.m. at most.
Other restaurants in the area did not resist. The Kapetan, competitor in pizza and grills, has closed its doors. Victoria Street, between the intersections of 132 and 112, has a handful of spaces for rent.
Getting through the crisis
Franco Perreira did not let the crisis stop him. He squarely decided to open take-out services in July 2020, when the pandemic had only a few months of very bad impacts. The two spaces serving BBQ and pizza were converted into a restaurant with service a few weeks ago.
Business is going well. The clientele is there. But like everyone in the restaurant industry, I have problems recruiting staff.
“I regained confidence in my sector in January, when the confinement decreed by Quebec shocked everyone, says the founding president of Groupe Perreira, which also includes a catering service. I understood that people were tired and that the return to normal was announced at all costs. I do not regret my choice. Business is going well. The clientele is there. But like everyone in the restaurant industry, I have problems recruiting staff. »
The president-owner must himself work in the kitchen to lend a hand to his teams. He dreads the return to class in September, which will further bleed him from his student employees.
Mr. Perreira was the President of the Economic Development Corporation (CDE) until the organization was dissolved following the decision of the new municipal administration not to renew a sponsorship agreement. The CDE received $300,000 from the City. Mayor Pascale Mongrain then explained that “the business model no longer corresponded to the wishes of merchants”. The town hall did not respond to the interview request of the To have to. The CDE disappeared at the end of December.
“In all honesty, I think some citizens had the wrong impression of the CRC,” says Mr. Perreira. Everyone was talking about the $300,000, while this budget collected with taxes was used to pay for activities such as the Fêtes de Saint-Lambert, which alone required $125,000. I saw it this year, as a merchant and resident, I find that the city center is not at all vibrant. Something is missing. I understand the argument of money, but in return, for an expense that was not so big, we have nothing left to help merchants and stimulate the city center. »