Last Thursday, posters announcing a liquidation sale were installed in the window of JA Moisan on rue Saint-Jean.
A first step towards the closure of the oldest grocery store in North America.
“It’s a very hard decision to make, but it had to be made,” says the co-owner of the century-old business, Donna Willett.
“We accumulate debt year after year. The volume is not there. Costs are continually increasing, including municipal taxes which have doubled in four years,” she explains, in an interview with The Sun.
The JA Moisan grocery store was established in 1871 on Saint-Jean Street. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
The latter acquired the historic building with her partner in 2019.
In the following years, the viability of the delicatessen was put to the test, says Ms. Willett, who invested several million in renovating the building.
Ridership has never reached the expected level in four years.
To explain the decline of the small grocery store, the merchant from Gaspésie points to the strong competition in food in the sector.
She also adds that interest in fine products is diminishing, while consumers are more “cautious” when it comes to loosening their purse strings.
“People from the neighborhood don’t come to shop at JA Moisan. It becomes an emotional attachment. People come and take photos. They tell us how beautiful it is. But that’s not what pays the bills,” she says.
Looking for a buyer
The institution on rue Saint-Jean risks going out of business by the end of January.
In the meantime, Donna Willett called on the Quebec Business Transfer Center to find a buyer for the premises. Two interested parties always have their hands raised, she confides.
However, it is not impossible that the purpose of commercial space will change.
The owners commissioned the Royal LePage firm to determine the value of a possible commercial rent. (Frédéric Matte/Le Soleil)
“Drastic” changes will have to be put in place to revive the address, the co-owner is convinced.
“Just buying to do what I did and what other owners did before me, it’s no longer enough,” says the woman who is banking on an offer that appeals to both tourists and residents of the neighborhood.
“What we often get asked for are prepared meals,” she exemplifies.
The businesswoman plans to remain at the head of the inn and the Patagonia clothing store, which share the same building. She will also keep the keys to the building.
