As part of the Portraits of merchants & professionals of Côte-des-Neiges project, we invited Zeineb Khalfallah (@zeineb_conscience on Instagram) to join us in our visit of 11 businesses of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges who have participated in the project.

Meet Herta and Steven | Portraits of merchants and professionals of Côte-des-Neiges

Learn more about your merchants and professionals of the Côte-des-Neiges district! // Let’s meet with : Herta Lowi, Founder and Steven Lowi, President of Garderie et Centre de jour Métropolitain

Herta Lowi is one of those people who have found their life mission and made it their job. Driven by her love for children, the Polish-born entrepreneur opened her daycare in 1973.

“I love children, I want to help them and teach them new things. Here, we have a good time together. We sing, dance and learn new things.”, said Herta in a soft voice.

When she started, her son, Steven Lowi, now president of Garderie et centre de jour Métropolitain, wasn’t born yet. But one thing is certain, he was around from the first few months after his birth. “She put me to work as soon as I was born.” said Steven humorously, teasing his mother sitting next to him.

The two family members, who now run the daycare, are a wonderful mother and son duo. Both funny and complementary, the two associates shared their passion for raising children with sparkles in their eyes.

It has now become Herta’s and Steven’s mission to teach arts and languages to their students. In fact, the nursery contains hundreds of books written in English and French. “We are very proud to have so many books. Many kids like to take books home with them and return them afterwards,” said Steven.

Moreover, the duo is committed to teaching both French and English to their children. “We embody diversity. We have people from all countries and all religions. Our educational program is wide and adapted to all … we are proud of it,” shared the president of the daycare.

“We have children who come here at two years-old and leave us at five. They come out of our daycare speaking perfect English and French.”, added Herta.

However, both entrepreneurs also told us about the difficult times they went through during the pandemic. Steven had to manage the daycare alone for the last few years to protect his mother from the virus.

Fortunately, they were able to count on the loyal and committed educators who supported them during the crisis.

For me Côte-des-Neiges is : Diversity

Writer-journalist: Zeineb Khalfallah

Photographer: Gaelle Leroyer

Artistic direction : Félicia Balzano (SDC Côte-des-Neiges

Complete the experience by visiting the free exhibition on Promenade Jean-Brillant from September 8th to December 5th, 2022. Info: here

ABOUT THE PROJECT: 

Given the great success of its project «Portraits of Merchants and Professionals of Côte-des-Neiges» in 2021, the SDC Côte-des-Neiges is proud to present the second edition of the initiative through an exhibition as well as interviews. This project is aimed at putting residents in touch with businesses on the territory of the Société de développement commercial (SDC) Côte-des-Neiges. Through a series of portraits capturing the essence of 11 businesses, meet 17 owners and managers of local businesses. This social and cultural project is intended to be a real encounter with the human behind the professional. In this second edition, you will discover women and men, young professionals and experienced entrepreneurs, all from different cultures and backgrounds, providing a wide range of products and services. What do they all have in common? Their love for Côte-des-Neiges. Discover the exhibition on the Promenade Jean-Brillant and extend the experience online thanks to the heartfelt interviews carried out with each one of them.

Under the artistic direction of Félicia Balzano, general manager of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges, this project is an initiative of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges and made possible with the collaboration of the Maison de la culture CDN and the borough CDN- NDG.