Less Gucci More Gefilte: A guide to Montreal from the perspective of its creative community

It’s been on our radar for some time now but 2015 seemed like the moment to explore an often overlooked hub of North American creativity. Montreal plays host to a plethora of creative talent, from cutting-edge photogaphers like Maya Fuhr and Alexi Hobbs to design studios Charmant & Courtois and Fivethousand Fingers. It’s got a thriving illustration scene, a powerhouse of comics publishing in Drawn & Quarterly and a heap of fierce contenders to be the best sandwich in town. Sadly we’ve never made it over for longer than a few days so had to beg, borrow and steal some insider information from our friends and Montreal natives, who helped us get a handle on what makes the city tick.

Understanding Montreal’s creative community starts with its geography. As with many cities of a particular scale, communities – creative or otherwise – gather in villages. Particular to Montreal, is that to the east of its main drag, the Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the streets, culture and dialogue are embedded in French tradition and to the west, Anglophones dominate.

An island city with a miniature mountain at its centre, Montreal grew very much out of its port, located at the southern tip of a croissant-like body of land on the Saint Lawrence Seaway. This was where Mayor Jean Drapeau built a cluster of islands for the city to host the 1967 World Fair, Expo 67. It had close to a hundred pavilions representing the theme of Man and His World, as well as nations, industries and corporations. The exhibition remained open until 1985, with much of it falling into disrepair and resembling a failed utopian city.

Recognised as a key moment in Canadian history, the fair also brought to light Montreal’s complex cultural heritage and the frictions between the English and French communities – militants threatened action in the months before its opening – but also crossovers too. Taking the Mile End district of Plateau as an example, these crossovers have since extended to include communities of Hasidic Jews, young creatives and everything in between. Mile End’s main street Parc Avenue has studios, bistros and world-renowned bagel shops. It’s like Manhattan’s Park Avenue but with a French twang – less Gucci and more Gefilte.

The district also boasts the highest concentration of artists in all of Canada, at the heart of which is publisher and bookstore Drawn & Quarterly. Having grown over several decades from a single-issue magazine to world-renowned comics publisher, Drawn & Quarterly has published the likes of Astrid Lindgren, Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes. Their storefront, Librairie D+Q is exactly the kind of bookshop that you want to stumble upon when visiting a new city; they’ve got comics, literature, paper-based gifts and some vital kids’ books that should be required reading for young children.

Another essential store is Ibiki, owned by lifetime local Jonah Leslie. As well as Ibiki, Jonah runs dance and photo studio Whitewall, DJs and seems to know about all the best dance parties happening all over the city. They take place in irregular, often private venues and run on the principle that if you can get hold of the address, you’re invited.

Jonah says his multi-tiered profession came from a longing to develop numerous skills all under a single creative vision; designing the identity for his store, photographing the stock, making videos, buying, merchandising, building furniture, recording mixes and writing the in-store literature. And while their sales focus is on clothes, Jonah says that he’s more interested in selling a lifestyle. “It’s just dressing people for everyday life. People who want honest clothing that is functional, comfortable and wearable. Consuming within your means is what it comes down to.”

His shop grew out of the summer street sales in Plateau that he’d go to with clothes picked up during winter trips. Ibiki and Whitewall now function without any active advertisement – “things just come along, and if the fit is right, I do it.”

Life in Montreal changes drastically according to season. Over the winter months it is steeped in snow with much of downtown travelled via the Underground City, a complex of 30km worth of interconnected tunnels. Uptown they hunch up, layer up wools and parkas and find other ways to survive. The roads are icy and people for the most part ditch their bikes for occasional forays onto public transport for art openings and parties. But more often, everyone stays home to watch movies and enjoy the hockey season until the fur-lined, waterproof boots can be tossed aside in favour of footwear that’s warm weather appropriate.

The day their thermostats go above zero, out come the knees. People start on the curb-side popsicles, grilled chicken sandwiches and afternoon tall boys amidst the still-watery sunshine. Montreal summers are vibrant – perhaps in response to such freezing winter weather, summer is strictly outdoors. There are jazz, comedy, pop and indie festivals, sports, craft fairs and bike-ins. They know how to bring the fun.

When the sun’s out design studio Charmant & Courtois meet on the terrace at Café Olimpico or Serrano Bar-B-Q, both on Saint Viateur Street West. At the end of their working day they’ll head over to the Alexandraplatz Beer Garden in “Mile Ex,” an area between Parc Extension and Little Italy, or Casa del Popolo, a bar and concert venue set up by members of the band Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Otherwise they’ll be at gigs put on by their pals Heavy Trip, seeing their friends Solids play, or watching the latest videos directed by Martin C. Pariseau (apparently a very good “chilleur,” or, “person who chills”).

Mathieu put us in touch with illustrator Annie Descôteaux, who works in collage, drawing and installation. Living in Centre-Sud, which she says has a seedy reputation, Annie’s routine includes visiting the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec, and Le Cheval Blanc for an apero. On weekends, Annie goes to Ma’tine for brunch. “Most of the top restaurants are located in trendier neighbourhoods but I’m glad the owners chose to establish right in the middle of the Centre-Sud as it’s a perfect place to get together with friends or family. It’s utterly charming and quite affordable, and the service is excellent.”

While Annie’s no stranger to dining out, she also falls victim to the city’s harsh weather conditions and they have a profouond effect on the way she socialises. “Because it’s so cold in the winter, I do have a tendency to avoid going out – I find it rather inconvenient to wear awful waterproof boots to go dancing. So I would say that what I enjoy the most during winter is to cook a great dinner, with plenty of wine, and gather good friends around a nice table instead of going out to clubs. But there are plenty of people who, unlike me, are willing to do so and the music scene is alive and well.”

If you’re looking for something more culturally highbrow than cocktails with colleagues then Montreal can offer that too. Annie recommends the southerly edge of the city, home to the DHC Gallery, Phi Centre and Musée d’art Contemporain de Montreal. The DHC is recognised as one of the most relevant places to view art, and is closely linked to the Phi which hosts films and cultural events while the Musée plays host to more traditional works – in a similar vein to the Musée des Beaux Arts which is situated to the west of the island. Staying in the west, there’s the culturally heavyweight Canadian Centre for Architecture, which has hosted exhibitions on subjects as diverse as the moon landing and a show of urban sensory experience that included a bottle of fragrance which, on opening, stank of local garbage.

Far-flung on the east side of the island is the Marché aux Puces St-Michel, a flea market situated in a prime spot just under a highway. It’s a dense, labyrinthine maze of stalls selling 80s records, craft ceramics and fur hats, but with little to offer in the way of refreshments. Expozine, Montreal’s zine fair, is also on the east of the island and plays host to the bounty of creativity in the city. Julia from Drawn & Quarterly describes it as: “just like Montreal itself… scruffy, thrifted sweater-y and filled with gems in the rough.”

Julia Pohl-Miranda, Drawn & Quarterly

Chez Boris: Nestled along Mile End’s main drag Parc Avenue, this cafe specialises in Russian Donuts. It’s got tonnes of Russian folklore-inspired artwork and a lending library.

Belgo Building: A four-storey building wedged between an H&M and a Best Buy, dedicated to artist-run spaces and galleries. Go on a Thursday evening and wander the floors.

Nota Bene: The finest paper suppliers in Montreal. Want a flawlessly designed Japanese agenda? Go here. For bonus points, check out Pikolo next door – they have a perfect Gibraltar and some fiiiiiine coffee beans.

Depanneur Le Pick-UP: Our office is located in a bit of a dead zone between two railyards. This place has saved our souls countless times with their vegetarian pulled pork, halloumi and their zine rack, curated by local nice guy Jeff Miller.

Jonah Leslie, Ibiki & Whitewall Studio

L’Express: My fave for late night eats. Kitchen is open ’til 2am. French cuisine, great decor and service. A Montreal staple.

The No Name Bar (5295 Parc Ave): I helped my good friend open this bar a few years ago. It’s the perfect date spot; a very classy cocktail bar. Sometimes there’s live music, other times vinyl’s being played – mostly world beats or jazz. My buddy Joseph who opened it took forever to come up with a name for the place, so people just started calling it the no name bar, and it stuck.

Formats : Probably the more relevant publications shop in Montreal. If you want to wander just off the island I recommend riding a bike over to Ile St-Helen where you can see Habitat 67, a true architecturalgem. There’s also the Geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller himself. There’s a huge Alexander Calder statue around those parts. Every Sunday over summer people dance under it, which I find a bit intense and don’t really recommend, unless you’re into doing Molly mid-afternoon.

Mathieu Dionne, Charmant & Courtois

La Fin du Vinyle: Montreal’s largest second-hand vinyl shop, for all my crate diggers out there.

Serrano Peruvian BBQ: They serve affordable and excellent chicken sandwiches. Ask for some broth and hot sauce to make it perfect.

Café Olimpico: When it’s beautiful out we meet here before work in the morning. They have a great outdoor terrace and make a great Italian espresso.

Casa del Popolo: Cheap drinks, sandwiches, nachos and burritos. Also check ‘em out for shows.

Parisian Laundry: Art gallery located in the south-west neighbourhood of St-Henri, their roster of artists is diverse and never disappoints.

Morning Fever: Monthly disco and soul event. Great vibes.

Annie Descoteaux, lllustrator

Fonderie Darling: An exhibition and work space, they sometimes organise giant open-door parties.

Le Cheval Blanc: An unpretentious yet classically elegant neighbourhood pub where everybody meets, regardless of age, style or sexual orientation.

Les Étoffes: They have a wise, carefully chosen selection of designer clothes and accessories for men and women.

Dominion Tavern: Nice for grabbing fancy cocktails with colleagues after a long day at work or after a meeting. They serve great food and the staff and general ambiance and decor are great. In the summertime they also have a nice little terrace. I like sitting at the bar.