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| Scantily-clad dancer from La Ronde bar, 1967 |
The massive event brought more than just positive vibes and merry recollections, it also sprouted new business concepts that alterted the urban landscape.
Expo 67 offered entrepreneurs a chance to try out business ideas with relatively minor investment, some of which that went on to become prominent long-term businesses in Montreal.
1-Irish pubs: The recently-deceased radio ad salesman Danny Dooner and a couple of colleagues gathered proof of concept with their thriving Irish pub on the grounds of the Expo 67.
Their Irish pub on the Expo grounds proved so successful that they duplicated it on Montreal's first Irish pub, the Hunter's Horn on Peel Street. Many other Irish pubs followed, of course and have become a fixture in the city that has become one of most profitable and stable business cliches.
2-Separatism: The flags of 60 participating countries flew proudly in Montreal in 1967, which led many Quebecers to ask: why not Quebec? We can be a country too! Prior to Expo 67, Quebec's independence movement was a tiny group of violent oddballs, bomb-tossing repressed homosexual psychopaths but that changed fast, as the event led to a stirring of Quebec nationalism, as did the Olympics of 1976.
3-Oompah band bars: German lederhosen bars were another hit at Expo 67 and that inspired one of Montreal's least non-unforgettable bars, the giant Old Munch on Dorch and Denis.
The Old Munich was a joyous spot where people drank ample ale and joined in Krautish conga lines. See the excellent Montreal 375 Tales for more fascinating background on this and other places.
4-Strip clubs: Stripteasing dancing places appeared in massive numbers in 1968, thanks partially to strip-bar at La Ronde, the amusement park built for the event. The bar, run by a pair of Frenchmen from France, including Lucien Morin, was known as l'Antre du diable.
It had been refused permission to host striptease shows but did them anyway without complaint. (In contrast, police caused a fuss when they arrested actors of the the Saltimbanques drama company on 25 September 1967 after they concluded that one of their shows on the La Ronde grounds was too naughty).
Strippers became a main draw for the city of Montreal in subsequent years. Montreal's strip clubs appears to have peaked at about 80 on the island in about 1977, not to mention countless others off island. Fewer than 20 strip clubs still exist on the island today.
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| Another La Ronde dancer |
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| And a third one |