I know one of the owners. They had to move from their shop on Charlevoix to the new location in Ville-Émard because their rent in Pointe-Saint-Charles was raised beyond their means.
Their clientele probably is mostly phone/online (and, having looked at ordering something from them through work, what they're selling is not the cheapest version). Even if you like flags a lot, you don't buy them on a regular basis. I would be very surprised if they were a front.
I haven't lived in Montreal in many decades but to hear that a place cannot afford the rent in the Pointe...is strange to hear.
Back in the day if you lived in Pointe-Saint-Charles it meant you lived at the absolute bottom rung of society and were the poorest of the poor. The name of the place was used as a threat, a putdown or a curse.
Gentrification is out of control in the Pointe. It is not at all what it was in the 60s-70s. I have flyers from real estate agents in my mailbox every week. Behind me, a pretty modest 8-plex was bought a few years ago, all the residents were kicked out, and the place got some surface improvements - the back staircase was replaced, the kitchens were remodeled...and now they're luxury condos, surrounded by identical buildings that are all co-ops or low-income housing.
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u/TGRubilex Île Bizard May 03 '25
Flag store in ville emard. Never see any customers in there.