When I was growing up, Eaton’s and Morgan’s were the two department stores where one shopped for just about anything. Ogilvie’s and Simpson’s were more specialized but still had nice stuff. You went to Birk’s to get silver, crystal and dinnerware, and of course jewellery.
All of this was within three or four blocks on Ste Catherine Street. No other city in North America had such fine shopping in such a concentrated area.
Morgan’s sold out to the Hudson Bay in the 1960’s and Birk’s went bankrupt in the early 1980’s. Eaton’s also went bankrupt. All were family firms based in Montreal except for the Eaton’s who were from Toronto. Not sure about Simpsons.