Bonsecours Market

Inaugurated in 1847 and counted among the ten finest heritage buildings in Canada, the Marché Bonsecours has become an unavoidable stop on any visit to Vieux-Montréal. Its imposing silver dome is one of the district's defining silhouettes, and behind the neoclassical façade the interior has been fitted out in a resolutely contemporary style — a jewel of Quebec heritage housing a modern retail floor. Home to the Conseil des métiers d'art du Québec, the market gathers fifteen boutiques of high-quality "made in Québec" creation: fine craft, fashion, accessories and jewellery, design objects, antique Quebec furniture. Everything from a souvenir to a collector's piece is here, and the mix of Québécois, Canadian and Indigenous work is a good part of what has made the building's reputation. The shops are entered from rue Saint-Paul.

The line-up rewards a slow browse. Signatures Québécoises par Anne de Shalla — installed here since 1998 and now carrying the Signatures Québécoises name — brings together a great many Quebec fashion designers across womenswear, coats for men and women, fur, accessories and jewellery. MaBelle has been making high-quality natural clothing and home textiles in Montreal since 2018, working in lambswool, merino, yak, cashmere and sustainable silk, down to mulberry silk bedding. La Joaillerie Jules Perrier, founded in 1956 and still directed by its namesake, has built a Canadian and international following on careful fabrication and original design. Serge Ricchi's fine leather goods shop is a proper treasure trove of colourful umbrellas, Carmen raincoats, Jean Verret leathers and the celebrated Territoire bags. Arts en Mouvement is an enchanting jumble of handmade work, Indigenous art, mystical objects and clothing, ideal for anyone hunting a gift with some character; Nature et Découverte caters to the collector with curiosities, jewellery, masks, butterflies and insects, and collectible stones; Temps Libre sells relaxed, durable clothes made to outlast trends; and Art et Culture Canada shows the urban scenes of painter Claude Montoya alongside First Nations sculpture, jewellery and inukshuks. Sucrerie Haut Bois Normand, a well-known sugar shack from the Eastern Townships, brings maple in all its forms plus Quebec terroir products — maplewood crafts, candles, Diligences soaps, Trappist chocolate and a broad tea selection — with tastings on the spot. Other tenants across the floors include Meubles d'Autrefois MB, L'Épicerie du Marché, Autour de l'Érable, MTLDecor, CS ChicSelect.ca and Blond's.

Two galleries anchor the art side. Galerie Ricchi presents a fine collection of Inuit sculpture from Baffin Island in Nunavut, working in magnificent serpentine and carrying universally recognised names — Parr, Ashoona, Atchealak, Shaa — with subjects drawn from the Canadian far north. Le Café des Arts doubles as Galerie MAM, a platform for exhibition and exchange dedicated to contemporary artists based in Canada, encouraging innovative practice and putting Canadian art in front of the market's visitors.

For eating and drinking, Le Café des Arts serves as café and restaurant beneath its own exhibitions, while BreWskey occupies several rooms across the lower levels — a brasserie, a taproom, a pub and La Cave à Manger. The atmosphere there is relaxed and welcoming, casual dress the code of choice, with a wide range of craft beers, whiskies and carefully chosen spirits; the microbrewery and cider selections change daily, so there is always something new, and the menu runs from fresh tartare to tacos alongside the chef's daily specials.

Upstairs, the building keeps its civic function: the ballroom, the Salle Vieux-Montréal, the Salle Ville-Marie and the Salle de la Commune host events and exhibitions under the dome. Historic, handsome and stocked almost entirely with things made here, the Marché Bonsecours is where Vieux-Montréal shows off what Quebec can make.