El Greco

The chairs out front usually give it away. On warm days, a crew of older men—smoking, sipping, arguing in Greek—hold court outside what looks like a no-frills workshop on Parc Avenue. Inside, Illias Constantakopoulos is at work. Tall, wiry, and inked, he’s a second-generation upholsterer who returned to Montreal after 27 years in Athens and a long run with addiction. El Greco is his shot at doing things differently.

He repairs sofas the way his father taught him—meticulous stitchwork, tufted backs, real materials—and keeps his prices sliding scale depending on who walks in. It’s not nostalgia he’s selling, but longevity, resistance to disposability. His clientele spans Hasidic shop owners to artists to factory workers. The tools are basic, the energy is generous, and the door is always open—except Sundays, when his father takes over.