Fruiterie Papaye Et Mangue

After 25 years of working as a custodian, followed by five years as a cook for the Marguerite Bourgeoys School Board, cafeteria closures forced Paula Deyoung to move on in her work life. However, when her husband Stéphane Courchesne, whose family maintains a tradition of produce store ownership, mentioned the idea of a store, Paula wasn’t as enthusiastic and you might expect. Stéphane spotted a vacant retail location with “perfect windows and perfect square footage,” and things began to happen fast. He and Paula visited the neighbourhood and spent time walking the streets and asking residents if they would like to have a produce store in the area. While the response was largely positive, Paula still had her doubts about the surroundings.

But Stéphane was sold. “To him, it didn’t matter if the neighbourhood was high class, medium class, or low class,” said Paula. “He wanted to open a fruit and vegetable store,” she added. Together, the pair opened Fruiterie Papaye et Mangue on the busy Ontario Street.