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THE LINK
Closed for How do threats to local commerce endanger the character of Montreal?
MARCUS BANKUTI
FF
rank Servedio—the owner of Clarke Café— tells people he became a man in Mile End. When he started at his father’s sandwich shop over 15 years ago, he encountered an ethnic and cultural mix he says changed him as a person. “It really opened my eyes,” said the self-described “LaSalle kid.” His affection for the eclectic community helped inspire his decision to spend the rest of his life at the family business. So where is Clarke Café? It’s not tucked away amongst the clothing boutiques of Laurier Ave., nor nestled on the Clark St. for which it is named. It’s not in Mile End at all—it’s in PointeSaint-Charles, 40 minutes by transit from its predecessor, Boulangerie Clarke, which closed in 2015 after 35 successful years. “I thought I was going to be there forever,” Servedio said of the establishment
T HEL INK NE W SPA P ER .C A
Photos Olivier Cadotte
founded by his grandfather. “I thought I was going to take over the business. The last day, I didn’t even want to be around the place. It was very upsetting for me.” His uncle sold the building to Danny Lavy and Stephen Shiller of Shiller Lavy Realties, a firm whose blue signs can be seen in windows around Mile End. To facilitate the deal, the business was purchased simultaneously to ensure his father also profited, said Servedio. The bakery subsequently continued its operations as a different company on paper, so the business itself was still family-owned, he explained. Boulangerie Clarke continued to pay its previous rental rate for one year, after which, said Servedio, its monthly rent would have tripled. The booming provincial economy has hastened the transformation of Montreal’s commercial streets, inviting speculation
linked to empty storefronts and an influx of flashy businesses with the potential to alienate longtime residents. Increasingly, some fear the very character of Montreal is being upended. As it stands, the commercial market is virtually unimpeded by regulation. The city recently announced that its committee on economic and urban development and housing will study the situation surrounding commercial vacancies, with a report to come in December and public consultations to follow. “Almost every iconic street in a neighbourhood is its commercial street,” said Craig Sauvé, a member of the ruling Projet Montréal party and Sud-Ouest city councillor for the district encompassing Clarke Café. “Some of the places we cherish the most are those long-held ‘mom-andpop’ joints.” Sauvé’s party promotes a vision for
