Jean-Talon Market (French: Marché Jean-Talon) is a
farmer's market
A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. Located in the
Little Italy
Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are ...
district, the market is bordered by
Jean-Talon Street
Jean Talon Street (officially in french: rue Jean-Talon) is one of the longest streets on the Island of Montreal. It runs from Decarie Boulevard in the west through Anjou in the east to Galeries d'Anjou. Jean Talon was the first Intendant of New ...
to the north, Mozart Ave. to the south, Casgrain Ave. to the west and Henri-Julien Ave. to the east. It contains two city-maintained streets both called Place du Marché du Nord. The market is located between the
Jean-Talon
Jean-Talon is a provincial electoral riding in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. It consists of part of the Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge borough of Quebec City.
It was named after former French colonial administrator of New ...
and
De Castelnau metro stations.
It is the largest market in Montreal and one of the largest open-air markets in North America.
History
The market was opened to the public in 1933 while
Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde (August 13, 1889 – September 11, 1958) was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal – one of the few Canadian politicians to have served at all three levels of government.
Political c ...
was the city mayor. Before that, the space the market now occupies was a
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...
field for the "Shamrock Lacrosse Grounds" club.
The market's single building (the ''chalet'') quickly became the focal point for development of the area around it. From the opening until 1961, the ''chalet'' was used as a terminal for buses heading to the neighbouring city of
Laval. Between 1961 and 1970 a municipal library and a social services centre replaced the bus station. Since then, the space was occupied by administrative offices.
Major renovations were undertaken in 2004 to handle the crowds that populate the market during the summer months. An underground parking lot was constructed, and an above ground structure was built over the underground parking area, to host 20 specialty boutiques.
Activities
The market is open year-round, even during Montreal's severe winters, although during this time walls are placed around the central section of the market while outdoor areas remain vacant. During the peak summer period, between May and October, its open-air arcades are occupied by about 300 vendors, mostly farmers from the countryside around Montreal.
The open air market is surrounded by other food businesses: meat, fish and cheese stores, bulk food emporia, dealers in spices and imported goods, bakeries, restaurants and a branch of the
SAQ, among others.
Stores surrounding the open-air market include:
* La Fromagerie Hamel
* William J. Walter boucherie
* Joe la Croûte boulangerie
* Maison de thé Camellia Sinensis
Since July 15, 2006 vehicles are banned from circulating inside the market's streets during the summer weekends.
[Vehicles banned from Jean-Talon market on weekends](_blank)
(cbc.ca, accessed 2006/11/02)
Image:Marché Jean-Talon, Montréal 2005-09-04.JPG, New wing
Image:Marché Jean-Talon, vue intérieure Montréal 2005-09-04.JPG, Interior view
Image:Marché Jean-Talon, vue intérieure (prise 2), Montréal 2005-09-04.JPG, Another interior view
Image:Marché Jean-Talon, outside view, Montréal 2005-09-04.jpg, Exterior view of the northwest corner of the market
See also
*
Atwater Market
References
External links
Marchés Publics de Montréal the agency that runs Montreal-area farmer's markets
{{Authority control
Commercial buildings in Montreal
Farmers' markets in Canada
Marché Jean-Talon
Jean-Talon Market (French: Marché Jean-Talon) is a farmer's market in Montreal. Located in the Little Italy district, the market is bordered by Jean-Talon Street to the north, Mozart Ave. to the south, Casgrain Ave. to the west and Henri-Julien ...
Montreal cuisine
Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie
Tourist attractions in Montreal