Old Quebec is a vibrant melting pot of residents and tourists. The Biron & Fils hardware store prides itself on catering to both types of customers: screws and tools are found at the back, while cast-iron decorative items are grouped at the front, creating a souvenir display that is remarkably refined for a hardware store.

Pierre-Ulric Biron and his father, Pierre, are co-owners of this business located on Rue Garneau, in the heart of the walled city. Pierre likes to recount that he was born in a foundry in 1945, as his own father, Paul, had acquired the Sainte-Croix foundry two years earlier. Pierre worked in every role within the foundry, eventually rising to become the head of the company.

He left when the Americans bought it. He subsequently opened his hardware store on Rue Garneau, which was then called L'Util. Today, his son Pierre-Ulric is the CEO of the Old Quebec hardware store Biron & Fils.

"I’m the chairman of the board because I give advice," jokes Pierre Biron, who describes himself as retired. "You’re always a foundry man at heart," he says, explaining his involvement in the company.

During the summer of 2006, the two men began turning everything upside down and setting up the hardware section at the back. This summer [2007], they gathered their cast-iron items at the front and created a space that resembles a gallery. There is a whole array of handles, rack bars, mailboxes, bottle racks, candlesticks, weathervanes, hooks, hinges, and cauldrons. A real museum!

Towards Export

These new items will eventually be added to the existing range of products that the two owners already source from Quebec, Canada, the United States, England, and India. They then plan to export via their website.

In short, there is a future for gray cast iron in Old Quebec. Europeans and Americans love ornaments that don't cost a fortune and are just as suitable for heritage homes as they are for contemporary condos.