Feb. 2, 1951: Dominion opens super-sized market

The balloons strung between the light fixtures lent a festive atmosphere as Dominion Stores opened a “mammoth food market” in Côte-des-Neiges, “said to be the largest food shopping centre in the province,” we reported on Feb. 2, 1951.

“The market features a 3,000auto capacity parking lot, almost an acre in size, and will serve residents of northwest Montreal and environs,” we wrote.

Based on its address, 3401 Bedford Rd., it appears to have been located about where a Maxi store currently sits, east of today’s Plaza Côte-des-Neiges.

The fact that it was located next to the company’s main Quebec warehouse would mean that food could be sold at economical prices, the chain’s district manager told our reporter.

The postwar boom — and with it an increasing reliance on the automobile — was in full swing. Supermarkets were taking over from more traditional grocers, butchers and bakers.

Dominion Stores, based in Toronto, was one of the biggest Canadian chains at the time, if not the biggest.

“The new store, it was explained, was designed to lend that ‘oldtime market atmosphere with modern facilities,’” we reported.

“On display were commodities ranging from foodstuffs, fruits, vegetables and meats, to household goods, kitchen wear, nylon stockings and magazines.

“A feature of the store is said to be its meat department where the customer may purchase supplies either at a self-service counter or a personal service counter, staffed by butchers.”

And indeed, the chain came to be known for its butcher counters, in no small part thanks to a line in a rather catchy jingle that seemed omnipresent back in the 1960s: “It’s mainly because of the meat.”