Tétreaultville, Simon de l’Est has it in his blood.
Tétreaultville, Simon de l’Est has it in his blood.
It is not out of simple business opportunism that the author of the book Burger and Barbecue for Dummies opened his urban canteen in Tétreaultville. This is the neighborhood where Simon Jodoin-Bouchard grew up – before he was nicknamed Simon of the East – and where he made his first experiments in the smoking room on his balcony.
“I like my small local businesses, the waterfront and the proximity to everything,” says the man who became an ambassador for Tétreaultville after winning BBQ competitions and marketing sauces and spices under the name S. J. B.
If the neighborhood that real people call “T-Town” changes its face, anything is still possible. “Tétreaultville remains affordable,” says Simon de l’Est.
“There is life after Highway 25,” says Léa Frédéric, real estate broker and proud resident of Tétreaultville.
When customers tell her it’s far, she responds: “But far from what? » “We are 20 minutes from everything by metro, with family life and neighborhood life. »
Parents of two children, Léa Frédéric and her partner are proof that even the French are leaving the central neighborhoods. What attracted them to Tétreaultville? “House prices. My boyfriend worked downtown and I in Boucherville. It was perfect. »
Looking back, the couple is surprised to have settled in a neighborhood that they knew nothing about. But he is delighted. “We discovered that the Honoré-Beaugrand station is 10 minutes away, that there is the Thomas-Chapais woods. There is a lot of nature in Tétreaultville,” adds Léa Frédéric, who recently left the hotel industry for real estate.
“During COVID-19, a lot of older people sold their homes to young families,” she explains. I have a three bedroom house for sale right now at $330,000. It’s still possible ! »
Léa Frédéric likes to introduce hesitant buyer clients to Tétreaultville. “It’s a great environment for a family,” she says. We can go paddle boarding and we will be able to swim soon. »
The mayor of the borough of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Pierre Lessard-Blais (Projet Montréal) has in fact committed to offering swimming as soon as possible at the Promenade-Bellerive linear park (see our map on the next screen ). He also announced the development of a public square at the intersection of Hochelaga and Des Ormeaux streets.
“COVID-19 has brought a renewal to Tétreaultville,” also notes Mélina Hamelin, owner of M Café.
“It’s still buyable,” she says.
Real estate projects have attracted young adults and families, she emphasizes, citing housing projects such as Cours Bellerive and Carré SOHO. Faubourg Contrecœur also restored the image of Tétreaultville, which, let’s be honest, needed the love that citizens and merchants are giving it.
Seven years ago, Mélina Hamelin was able to buy a duplex in the neighborhood where her grandmother lived. “I wanted to find a neighborhood where everything is close by. But there was something missing: that’s why I opened the café. »
Mélina Hamelin is president of the board of directors of the Tétreaultville Merchants Association, born in 2018 to boost commercial activity on rue Hochelaga and create neighborhood life (without being a commercial development company).
“All the traders are in the neighborhood,” praises Mélina Hamelin. The latter buys her meat at 3A Boucherie Gourmet, her milk at the eco-responsible grocery store Ô Poids Vert and her cleaning products at Terre à soi, an eco-friendly general store.
The M Café is next to a collaborative work space called the Tétro HQ. Its owner is delighted to have created a real “place of meetings and exchanges”. During our visit, a customer whose blonde had just given birth gave Mélina Hamelin news of the baby. There was also a mother with a 2 week old baby.
No doubt, Tétreaultville is a cradle of new families.
“There are needs in the neighborhood, but there are challenges,” underlines Simon de l’Est, who opened Le Bellerive last February (with Mélina Hamelin, in fact!), known as “the refreshment bar of the Far East”. . After all, there had to be somewhere to go for a drink other than a tavern with video lottery terminals.
“I want the neighborhood to live,” continues Simon de l’Est. However, it is not always easy to stay in business, he points out. Bellerive moved into the space that became vacant after the closure of the Coq de l’Est rotisserie (which was opened by a couple who had worked at Joe Beef and Pied de porc). Further north, rue Sherbrooke, the branch of the Hamel de l’Est cheese factory has closed. “Tétreaultville is Tétreaultville. There are still very poor parts. »
Regardless, it is beautiful to see the feeling of belonging that is developing in the neighborhood. “I had Tétreaultville jerseys made to raise money for the neighborhood baseball club. I sold them all in 24 hours,” underlines Léa Frédéric, who moderates a Facebook group of 4,500 members called Tétropositif!.
“As in all big cities, the future is in the east,” argues Léa Frédéric.
“Anything that can be good for Tétreaultville, we’ll take it! », adds Simon de L’Est.
