Le petit commerce de l’alimentation dans le Faubourg à m’lasse à Montréal, 1949–1963. Une histoire et un patrimoine à mettre au jour

This article seeks to understand the development of a working-class Montreal neighbourhood by analyzing small, longstanding food establishments according to their economic characteristics, their ability to adapt, and their role in the food supply and in local social life. The research fits into historical contexts. The transformation of the city during the urban renewal of the 1950s and 1960s affected older, mainly working class neighbourhoods. Furthermore, changes after 1945 in terms of food distribution brought about new consumption practices. The study concentrates on a part of the Centre-Sud neighbourhood that was almost entirely demolished around 1963, the Faubourg à m’lasse. Seventy places, from groceries to restaurants, from taverns to tobacco candy shops, were studied and geolocated for the years 1949, 1953, and 1963. The layout of the establishments as well as certain characteristics of the owners were also examined. This inventory draws on many sources, including an exceptional corpus of photographs taken by the City of Montreal in 1963. The results reveal the presence of commercial arteries featuring a varied food supply and establishments that were rather modest. The owners of the businesses, for the most part French Canadian men, were indeed present in the neighbourhood, thereby contributing to maintaining a merchant class despite varied socio-economic statuses. Our analysis leads us to conclude that the almost total disappearance of the businesses in 1963 was the result of the destruction of the territory rather than a direct effect of competition from other types of businesses.