How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau

From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

Phylida Tuff-West

October 17, 2025- Read time: 5 min

"On April 23, 1954, a group of Azorean emigrants waits in the port of Ponta Delgada in São Miguel, before departing on board the ship Homeland headed for Halifax." | Photograph: José-Louis Jacome’s personal collection / Encyclopédie du MEM

The Home Hardware at the corner of Saint-Laurent and Rue Vallières greets passersby with a split display: on one side, a collection of seasonal building supplies, and a miniature homage to Portugal on the other.

The patriotic arrangement that extends to the store’s interior shelves, stocked with terracotta cookware and a flock of brightly painted Galo de Barcelos roosters, a symbol of good luck in Portuguese folklore. Officially named Quincaillerie Home Hardware Azores, the business reflects more than its function. Like much of the built environment along Saint-Laurent between Avenue des Pins and Marie-Anne Street, the store is part of the Plateau, but its name and imagery situate it within a cultural landscape that belongs to Little Portugal.

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