Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter

To mark Local Shopping Week, the Association of Businesspeople and Professionals (AGAP) of Old Gatineau and its partners invited local businesses and residents to participate in the first edition of the festive Main and St-René Open Doors at Main Square on Duquette Street East in Gatineau.

Participating businesses included Chez Lou Patate, Les 3 Cousins ​​Shawarma et Poutine, the Crèmerie Flamingo, the Épicerie Selah, and more. For the occasion, numerous family activities, such as a treasure hunt, children’s face painting, games, music, a barbecue, and raffles were offered free of charge. The NezTincelles (Tenderness Clown) troupe was also on hand to add colour and joy to the Main Square.

In addition, Local Shopping Week is a Quebec initiative in association with Main streets, which took place from August 18 to 24, where more than 80 partners across Quebec, including municipalities, organizations, associations, and more, came together to promote local purchasing. “Everyone decides to do a little bit of what they want, suggest various activities […],” explained Pauline Bouchard, director general of the AGAP du Vieux-Gatineau. For the event, a treasure hunt was proposed to identify different merchants in the neighbourhood. “On a street with an atmosphere like Main, we find what we call concrete businesses,” she added. “You also must have a little interest in going there; otherwise, people don’t dare go in. It’s not like a shopping centre where people go into any store and don’t feel intimidated if they haven’t bought anything. The idea is to reduce the shyness between the sidewalk and the front door.”

AGAP hopes to be able to repeat the event next year. “It will depend on the feedback survey,” said Bouchard. “This year, we had eight weeks of programming with various activities. The issue is always the level of publicity.”

According to Bouchard, however, several improvements were made this summer, including the redesign of the parking space for Studio 157, the reduction of speed limits on the street, the addition of flashing lights at the pedestrian crossing, the beautification of the Square, and more. “To continue these improvements, merchants must continue to be involved and mobilized,” she emphasized.

Photo: Overview of the Main Square during the first edition of Open Doors. Festive Main and St-René (August 23, 2025) (MG) Photo: Mélissa Gélinas