Caldwell Provisions, the popular neighbourhood grocery store located on Caldwell and Kildare Road, will take over the entire strip mall by fall 2021 and be rebranded as Supermarché PA Côte Saint-Luc.
Owner George Sparagis said the existing tenants, CSL Bagel, a drycleaner, a hairdresser and a chocolate shop, will all be integrated into the new design, which will expand to three storeys. The former Pharmaprix , bakery and synagogue storefronts are already empty.
Sparagis made the deal with Supermarché PA when they unsuccessfully tried to lure away his head chef Sophie and head cashier Rachel.
By engaging in this partnership, Sophie will in fact become the executive chef for all of the Supermarché PA stores. They will also carry CSL Bagel and Le Petit Jardin products.
“This is a dream come true,” CSL Bagel owner Seth Eliahoo told me through his glass window. Seth has employed rigid safety measures since the start of the pandemic. He does not even let his financée inside.
Mayor Mitchell Brownstein was privately involved in the negotiations and promised to bring to Council a proposal to place a very large billboard on the roof of the building to increase visibility.
Supernarché PA will also purchase naming rights to the Samuel Moskovitch Arena. The ice surface itself will be known as the Supermarché PA Rink and that will be emblazoned on the scoreboard.
While small in size compared to the major grocery stores, Caldwell Provisions has cornered the market on fresh ready to eat meals via Chef Sophie and some of the best cut fruit in town thanks to assistant manager Spiro and his team. Many clients do their regular grocery order here by phone and as a result Sparagis has multiple delivery trucks out at a time.
The staff are extremely friendly and they greet all regular customers by name.
Sparagis started working at the store when he attended nearby Wagar High School and eventually bought the place. He is a hands on owner who can be seen on site seven days a week.
Now this would be an absolutely excellent idea for the strip mall, but at this point I must simply say “April Fool’s Day.” However, on that note I would certainly welcome Caldwell Provisions taking over the storefront formerly occupied by Pharmaprix so they can double in size. As for CSL Bagel, Eliahoo created a superb brand and expansion is indeed merited.
Perhaps this April Fool’s joke is really destined to be real. I think the Mayor could look to this possible project as an accomplishment to the Legacy and focus on expanding businesses instead of social and learning halls.