‘The Main’ has taken on a new look
In Montreal, St. Lawrence Boulevard – affectionately called “The Main” and politically named Boulevard St-Laurent, always seemed to have a life of its own. The Main has ridden life’s wheel of fortune, from the prosperity of the Gay 90’s, when a trolley ride to here was a popular Sunday outing, to the depths of the Depression, when it unfortunately acquired the moniker of “Skid Row”. Merchants have discovered that it is a street that has the ability to continually redefine itself.
The proliferation of new restaurants which brought the chi chi crowd swarming nightly to the piece of the street near Sherbrooke has changed the face of it yet once again, so St. Laurent Blvd. has slowly re-evolved to the chic reputation it now enjoys. Trendy new designers and clothing shops have replaced the ethnic groceries and dry goods stores of yesteryear.
It has taken longer for this turnover to reach above Mont Royal Avenue, but it is happening. An upscale furniture strip is in progress near Marie Anne St., but today I would like to focus on a few interesting stores even further up, around Villeneuve and Laurier Avenue. The first business sells wall beds, which are so practical in space-tight apartments or condos. You or your guest can sleep quite comfortably on a real mattress rather than a scrunched one that has been folded into a couch, and you can also use more of your floor space all day long.
The second store is for those artists out there, and for those itching to let their fingers do some creating this summer – it is an artists co-op that offers great prices on supplies. The last store is one of the few women’s clothing stores that has lasted over two decades on the street.
Li-Muro, 4638 St-Laurent Blvd. at Villeneuve Ave. Phone: 514-845-0308. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.limuro.com This store offers made-to-measure wall beds, planned with the help of a designer, using the Murphy wall bed mechanism. They stock ten colors of solid wood (yellow birch, pine and oak), wood veneer and melamine. A new shade is being introduced this week – a charcoal gray reminiscent of an aged barn door. In melamine, the most popular one has a stainless steel finish. A double bed starts at about $1,000 (not including mouldings, handles, installation or delivery). You can extend the wall unit with glass-doored cabinets, desks, drawers, shelves or even a TV closet.
Coop de Solidarite St-Laurent, 4665 St. Laurent Blvd. Phone: 514-289-1009. Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Join the 600 artist members of this co-op, and you too can take advantage of their 25% – 40% off prices. After you pay a membership fee of $15 for the first year, and $5 for each year afterwards, you can stock up on acrylic paints by Stevenson or Tri Art, oils by Rembrandt, Stevenson, Van Gogh, loads of easels, water color paper, sketch pads, canvas and paper (kraft and Stonehenge) by the yard. To draw and paint there are pencils, markers, pastels, watercolor ink and, of course, brushes. On Thursday evenings you can take advantage of their live model sessions, which cost $9 for members and $11.50 for non-members. Framing is available and even hypo-allergenic paint thinner. http://www.coopstlaurent.org Cage aux Soldes, 5120 St. Laurent Blvd. at Laurier Ave. Phone: 514-270-2037. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p..m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For the past twenty-three years, what you have been able to find here is a selection of ladies’ quality clothing in sizes 4-18. The latest styles, including coats by Nuage, are sold at about half of the manufacturer’s suggested prices. They choose samples or ends-of-lines (Eric Alexandre, Steilmann, Conviction, Sandwich, Finlha, French Dressing) in order to bring you these good prices.
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