After 50 years of bringing joy to Montreal carnivores, the Slovenia butcher shop on Saint Laurent Boulevard has served its final sandwich.
Saturday was the final day of operation for the venerable shop, after an online announcement of the impending closure on Jan 18.
Many of those who passed under the famous red, white and yellow sign one last time on Saturday were left feeling nostalgic.
“It’s just sad. I mean, it’s an institution in Montreal,” said Victor Frattasi, who told Global News he’d been been coming to Slovenia for over 15 years.
“Even though there’s no plaque, it’s a Montreal landmark,” said 38-year-old Chris Abrigo. His family have been loyal Slovenia customers since before he was born.
Some swear by the quality of the meat.
“I really enjoyed their specialty salami, spicy salami. I don’t know where I’ll ever find it again,” said Ken McNamee, a customer for three decades.
“It’s the best veal you could ever find. You can’t find it anywhere else,” said customer Fernand Rioux.
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For many others, the legendary sandwiches have always been worth the trek to the main,
“The prices are extremely low for the quality that you’re getting,” said Frattasi, ‘The mixed meat sandwiches, the spicy sausage sandwiches, it’s all just great, great stuff.”
On January 18th, the owners wrote on Facebook that the 29th would be their final day, thanking their clients for all the wonderful years.
They didn’t wish to speak with Global News.
Whether the reason for the closure is the pandemic, high rent, wanting to retire or some other reason, their customers will miss them dearly.
“A lot of these places are few and far between right now. They’re all shutting down,” said Frattasi.
“I think it’s important to try and support them as much as we can in their last days just to show them how valuable they’ve been to the community,” said Samantha Stilwell.
Food historian Kat Romanow says Slovenia’s closure represents another loss for Saint Laurent Boulevard’s past as a melting pot for immigrants.
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“They represented a time when the Main was a bustling street and was a place where various immigrant groups who settled in the city made it their home, and they made it a place where they could come and gather,” she said. “It was full of family-run businesses, and so that really helped to foster a sense of community.”
She points to the recent exit of legendary steak house, Moishes, from its iconic location as another example of the street’s old character being lost.
“It kind of hits hard because we’re losing a part of the Main that we’re never going to get back by losing these institutions,” Romanow told Global News.
Slovenia’s loyal regulars have no choice but to be content with one last photo, one last sandwich, one last look at that famous sign.
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