On Boulevard Saint-Laurent, on the Plateau Mont-Royal and just across the street from my favorite Hungarian deli , Chez Anna, between two honking trucks and Montrealers hanging around outside because it’s hot, you could pass by the Montreal Jewish Museum’s new “heritage space” almost without seeing it.
From a distance, it’s a long-established shop on the plateau, elegantly weathered by harsh winters and humid summers, an instantly nostalgic window display, a simple storefront; H. Fisher & Fils, Accessoires de Couture.
But if you look closely, you’ll notice the colorful art in the window, the repainted “Musée du Montréal Juif” banner and, among other things, the smiling photo of the store’s last owner, inviting you to come in – just to see.
In the window, contemporary textile artists Shannon Stride and Susanna Krispil were commissioned by the museum to create the work Beginner’s Luck.
The tufted rugs and ribbon meters, surrounding a somewhat cryptic list that was written on one wall of the store, pay homage to Esther Fisher, its last owner, with nods to her sewing scissors (Wiss, the best on the market), her glasses, her New Balance.
H. Fisher & Fils: the legacy of an era
When you walk into the couture store, you instantly feel a pang of nostalgia that’s hard to explain, an intense desire to make a phone call to your grandparents, to spend a month in the small town where you grew up. It’s summer, the most nostalgic season of the year – which helps.
“The big metal shelves are filled to overflowing with numbered, organized boxes of buttons, spools, fabrics and zippers of every color.
The store was donated to the Montreal Jewish Museum after the death of Esther, the daughter-in-law of its first owner, Henry Fisher.
After his death, the store was taken over by his son, and when he left, Esther, his wife, took it over without hesitation and with success. Above the cash register, a small printed sign reads; “Of course I don’t work as long or hard as the men of the office. I do it right the first time!”
That was in 2022, and apart from a big sweep to dust it off, the Museum hasn’t touched a thing. The store is still intact.
Esther, who was filmed by MMJ scholarship students shortly before she closed the store, recounts in a series of selected short interviews her early days at the store, her interactions with the young designers who were completely loyal to her, and the day-to-day running of the store which, after 100 years in the neighborhood, was a true community place.
Memory, community and couture
The boutique is now open to visitors, and is once again a community space; many of Esther’s former customers, friends and those who came to the store because Esther had everything, have already come to step back in time and share their stories and memories of the place.
Since the space opened a few weeks ago, testimonials have already been collected and recorded, to be preserved in the museum.
MMJ offers tours with a bit of context, with Esther’s videos setting the tone – a bit girl power, a bit serious, very nostalgic without the melancholy that sometimes comes with visiting places that no longer function.
Tours last about half an hour, and the store is narrated in French or English by a Museum educator; the history of H. Fisher & Fils is intimately linked to Jewish immigration to Montreal and the neighborhood’s textile industry – the shmata business.
Afterwards, you can wander around the store, running your hands over the well-labeled fabrics, the ribbons, the giant address book. You can look at Esther’s kodak photos in the store, in chiaroscuro, taken by an art student. And the coffee machine from the ’90s, the newspaper clippings about the designers who used to work in the store, the fabric-cutting machine.
Practical info
Where? H. Fisher & Fils, 4129 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
When? open Thursday to Monday, 10:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
How many? Visits take place every 45 minutes, and reservations are recommended on the MMJ website here! General admission: $4.95
Enjoy your visit!