New and Long-Established Shopkeepers Facing Socioeconomic Transformations in Two Former Working-Class Montreal Neighbourhoods
Based on a two-year field study involving 50 semi-structured interviews with new and long-established shopkeepers in two former working-class Montreal neighbourhoods undergoing gentrification, this paper explores the multifaceted relationship storeowners cultivate with the changing population of their primary catchment area. Moving beyond the stereotypical representations of “new trendy” and “old overwhelmed” shopkeepers, the analysis reveals how business and neighbourhood logics intertwine, sometimes leading to moral dilemmas that shape the interactions with three categories of residents: the target clientele, the undesirables, and the others.