The St-Viateur Bagel shop on Monkland Avenue closed its doors for good on Monday afternoon. The last morning was emotional for longtime server Lily Harrison.
“It’s very sad,” she told Global News. “It’s the end of an era; it’s the end of my life as I’ve known it for the last 17 years.”
The place in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce has been a popular brunch spot not just for locals but also for others who came from afar. The shop’s owners didn’t want to discuss the details of their lease Monday morning, but they told Global News in January they didn’t have much choice.
“We couldn’t renegotiate the lease with the new landlord,” co-owner Robert Moreno explained at the time, adding that the rent was just going to be too expensive.
Longtime customers say the place was unique because it wasn’t just a restaurant — it was an institution.
“This institution brings togetherness; it’s a club,” stressed real estate broker Ninette Rosen, who has been a St-Viateur client for several years.
Staff members like Harrison have formed strong bonds with clients.
“One of the customers was my wedding photographer. I met my husband here, I’ve grown with the community here, I’ve seen children grow up,” she said.
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The Monkland Avenue shop was one of eight St-Viateur Bagel outlets around the greater Montreal area. The oldest, on St-Viateur Street, is more than 60 years old. The shop on Monkland Avenue had been around for 18 years.
Some employees are now weighing their options as a result of the closure.
“Right now, I’m really not sure, to be honest with you, because I have two little kids,” said Harrison.
Others are luckier.
“A good part of them are going to continue to work for us,” explained co-owner Nicolo Moreno. “We’ve relocated them in our other businesses.”
Global News reached out to the landlord of the building for comment but did not receive a response.
However, the store owners haven’t ruled out reopening somewhere else in the borough.
“Yeah, for sure. (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) is for sure in our sights,” Nicolo explained.
But, he says, for the moment, he needs a break.
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