Charcuterie Noël: Montreal-North staple closing their doors

Charcuterie Noël is a Montreal-North staple, serving up a slice of Italy for the past 45 years.

But on Oct. 4th, the family-owned grocery store will be closing their doors — the same day it opened in 1979 — due to a significant drop in revenue after the pandemic. 

Owner Roberto Natale points to the economic landscape rife with fierce competition between grocery store chains and big box stores now in on the food market as the reason behind his decision.

“After the pandemic when people started coming out and the inflation started going up the prices also started going up,” said Natale. “That’s when it really affected us because people started comparing prices.”

“They see the shop here as a more expensive place than other places.”

Community impact

“It’s a shock to me… I’m very sad and disappointed,” said said Louis Lefebvre, after learning that it would close in just six days. “I’ve been coming here for about 25 years.”

“Having a grocery store here was like kind of ideal because it’s in the center of everything.”

Lefebvre hopes that another local grocery store will install itself in the location.

“That’s what I’m upset about… we don’t have much choice anymore except for going to the big supermarkets,” he said. “Sometimes they have lower prices, but the quality isn’t really there.”

Alain Métivier was shopping for peaches and ready-made meals. Everything was on 25 per cent final sale, even large produce baskets were up for grabs.

“It’s not the closure that brings me here, it’s the products,” said Metivier, who has been coming to the store for twenty-two years and knows founder Salvatore Natale, Roberto Natale’s father.

“If you translate Natale, it’s Christmas, that’s where the name of the Noël grocery store comes from,” he said smiling.

Something different ahead

Natale was ten when he started helping around the store by passing the mop and broom, slowly learning about each department. Natale describes himself as a “hands on” business owner.

“And because you’re in the daily routine, you don’t stop and say, How much did I do? How many years have passed?” he reflected.

With his well-honed eye for detail, Natale skillfully went about displaying his merchandise — fresh ears of corn, tomatoes and celery — while speaking with CityNews.

Natale’s ideas for the future are percolating. At first he was set on selling but now he is considering renting the space.

“We want a new concept to answer the need of the new community to community that’s coming along,” he explained. “You have to change and to do different.”

But what’s up next up for Natale is a brief break. 

“You can rest a day or two, but it’s not me, I gotta move,” he said wryly.

“My projection is that by the month of January I’ll be back on the market,” he added “I wanna still help and I hope that someone will need my expertise.”