Created in 2013, the Carrefour alimentaire Centre-Sud (CACS) brings together two complementary community organizations: Marché solidaire Frontenac and Rencontres-Cuisines. Together, with a unified governance and a common mission to carry, they want to improve access to healthy food by building the food autonomy of neighborhood residents.
In 2020, the Carrefour acquired new premises located on Sainte-Catherine Street. The opening of an affordable grocery store, open to all and ensuring access to healthy food in a sector (Centre-Sud) where there are few services, becomes the promising project for this new space.
The project began when Vanessa Girard Tremblay, the administrator of the Carrefour and Mark Poddubiuk, the architect of the project, contacted Alphabet to collaborate in the creation of furniture for the 3 Paniers grocery store. With a narrow space to work with and a lot of daily foot traffic to be expected, versatility, comfort and sturdiness were key factors to prioritize. The project included a reception desk, a cash counter, wall shelves for dry food, multifunctional tables with seats available on an ‘as-needed basis’, as well as a dining area with integrated storage solutions to put furniture away.
It is in this context that the idea of reinterpreting the classic folding chair, a practical yet underestimated piece of furniture according to Alphabet, materialized. One thing leading to another, the reference to Shaker aesthetics naturally made its way in the creative process. The Shakers, a community born at the beginning of the 18th century, are recognized today for their simple and sober architecture and their refined and utilitarian wooden furniture. In the space, a system of hooks was designed and installed on the wall above the dining tables allowing, as the Shakers did, to hang the chairs in order to clean the floor or free up space.
In 2022, the CACS becomes the Carrefour solidaire Centre communautaire d’alimentation and continues in its mission to improve access to healthy food for all and supports the development of a food system centered around local, ecological and solidarity values.
3 PANIERS GROCERY STORE
— Centre-Sud
Created in 2013, the Carrefour alimentaire Centre-Sud (CACS) brings together two complementary community organizations: Marché solidaire Frontenac and Rencontres-Cuisines. Together, with a unified governance and a common mission to carry, they want to improve access to healthy food by building the food autonomy of neighborhood residents.
In 2020, the Carrefour acquired new premises located on Sainte-Catherine Street. The opening of an affordable grocery store, open to all and ensuring access to healthy food in a sector (Centre-Sud) where there are few services, becomes the promising project for this new space.
The project began when Vanessa Girard Tremblay, the administrator of the Carrefour and Mark Poddubiuk, the architect of the project, contacted Alphabet to collaborate in the creation of furniture for the 3 Paniers grocery store. With a narrow space to work with and a lot of daily foot traffic to be expected, versatility, comfort and sturdiness were key factors to prioritize. The project included a reception desk, a cash counter, wall shelves for dry food, multifunctional tables with seats available on an ‘as-needed basis’, as well as a dining area with integrated storage solutions to put furniture away.
It is in this context that the idea of reinterpreting the classic folding chair, a practical yet underestimated piece of furniture according to Alphabet, materialized. One thing leading to another, the reference to Shaker aesthetics naturally made its way in the creative process. The Shakers, a community born at the beginning of the 18th century, are recognized today for their simple and sober architecture and their refined and utilitarian wooden furniture. In the space, a system of hooks was designed and installed on the wall above the dining tables allowing, as the Shakers did, to hang the chairs in order to clean the floor or free up space.
In 2022, the CACS becomes the Carrefour solidaire Centre communautaire d’alimentation and continues in its mission to improve access to healthy food for all and supports the development of a food system centered around local, ecological and solidarity values.