TRADE. Catherine Mercier-Bédard was far from thinking that going into business would be so difficult, especially in times of pandemic. Owner of the Bistro and bowling alley Le Sommet d’Armagh since August 10, she had no idea that she would be held back by the measures for so long.
Le Sommet Bistro and Bowling Hall are three businesses in one. There is the bowling alley, the bar and now a restaurant service. She has never been able to open all of her business since she acquired it, except at the very beginning. “The bowling alleys, we feel that we are in a gray area. Since the reopening of the gyms that I have been fighting with public health, except that they tell me that I am not a sport, even if I have a sports center permit. I am categorized with billiards and darts. “
Her game plan for complying with Public Health rules was ready and should have allowed her to operate at the very least, she said. “The duet and individual sports had resumed, but I couldn’t. People could have come to practice alone, I would have placed them one per aisle. For the duets, people would have each had their ball and would have always been left behind. “
At the time of the transaction last August, the bar and bowling alley were in operation. Taking advantage of the fact that the Parc des Chutes has not been open in recent months and the closure of the village snack bar this winter, the idea of a snack bar came to him afterwards, as did that of a dining room which has been fitted out in recent months.
“I had to find something, in case we were closed again this winter. Most establishments that only have one bar are set to disappear. A catering side will be needed to keep people there longer, so I decided to leave the snack bar. I had to invest to redo the electricity, paint and more in this room. It was finally opened for two weeks, ”she sums up.
The deal had been simmering for some time, except that delays were inevitable, despite the wishes of those involved. “We came to bowling and I always wanted to have a bar or restaurant type business. I started to take steps with Alain, the former owner. Quietly not quickly, I went to seek my financial support and when I arrived in February last year, I was ready. I was supposed to buy on March 20 and we went into lockdown on the 14th. When it reopened in August, I wasn’t immune to another shutdown, but I went ahead anyway. “
Originally from the Portneuf region, Catherine Mercier-Bédard was part of the staff of the Youth Centers of the Capitale-Nationale before acquiring the business. “I had a good job and a good position, but I was not made to work in such a heavy structure. I arrived here by chance. We moved here, me and my ex-partner, while we lived on the South Shore. We were looking for something to keep each about thirty minutes from our work. “
In the meantime, it can only cross its fingers and hope for a lasting relaxation of measures, in the short term, in order to be able to hope to revive its trade. “I already had a daycare, but this is my first real business. I do not survive. We have a lot of losses. Whenever there are changes in the sanitary rules, people who want to bowl call me. If we can operate, I expect good traffic this summer, especially on rainy days, which is not usually the case. “
–
