The plan to permanently close the Archambault Music Store at Berry and St. Catharines Streets came as a shock to longtime customers.
“Well, that’s sad,” said Meghan Kerr, a customer outside the store. “I mean it’s been here for a really long time. It’s always been here.
It’s been a staple since the 1930s and Groupe Archambault owners say the store will be open until June.
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In a press release issued to announce the plans, the company blames construction in the area over the years, which it says has hurt business.
The release reads, “The huge construction sites that are multiplying in this area have major implications that must be taken into account when assessing the future of storefront retail business.”
According to Domenic Beland of the Union of Professional and Office Employees (SEPB), the closure will result in the loss of around 30 employees, some of whom have been with the company for decades.
“The oldest person working there has been working there since 1972,” he told Global News. “Some of us have been here since the late ’90s and early 2000s.”
Beland observed that the closure would not only be a major blow to the workers, but a major loss to the city.
“Closing a place like this means a lot,” he said. “It’s part of our culture that gets closed, it’s a big part of Montreal and a lot of people know Archambault Berry.”
Some shoppers mourned the closure of yet another Montreal business, with some blaming the construction.
“It’s one less thing you can do downtown, which is a pity,” noted customer Daniel Gwynn, who said he buys CDs twice a week.
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For Kerr, “it’s sad to see the landscape changing,” she said. “They’ll probably turn it into another condo building, which sucks.”
A recent study by Montreal’s Chamber of Commerce noted that there are many uncoordinated construction projects, including roadwork, in the downtown core.
In a statement, Robert Beaudry, the Montreal city councilor responsible for urban planning, also expressed surprise at the closure of Berry Archambault and acknowledged that the area around the store is undergoing change.
“We are aware that there are challenges due to the mixed use of the STM work site and area,” they wrote.
“That is why we work to have a better presence on the ground to respond to the concerns of residents, traders and to intervene with vulnerable people with the help of our EMMIS team and Mobility Squad.”
Despite the closure, one thing may remain.
Groupe Archambault says they will ask for the sign, which while currently owned by Quebecor, which owns the building, cannot be taken down because of its heritage value.
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