Today, there are three bookstores in activities in the Bortier gallery, housed between the Saint-Jean and de la Madeleine streets. For almost 150 years, booksellers, Sellers of old photos, second -hand bookstores had renowned the place. For the past few months, he has worked a new face. On November 22, 2024, new businesses opened their door in the gallery, by offering a “quality” catering, according to Thierry Goor, promoter at the origin of this project of transformation and the creation of the Wolf and the Fox Markets, in the city center and Watermael-Boitsfort.
Nine months later, how is the gallery doing? Nicolas Van Cutsem holds the bookstore “Books and you“. He draws up his assessment: “For us, that has not changed the world. There are indeed more tourists who come in, but tourists unfortunately buy very few books. “
As for Horeca establishments, this Friday, August 29, there are seated consumers but also empty tables. Managers refer to Thierry Goor to take stock of attendance at the premises. The latter specifies that out of the seven brands, two have actually decided to stop their activities, information reported by the Standaard in recent days: the Boucher Dierendonck and the Polpo Fish restaurant of Chef Lewandoski. The latter’s premises will nevertheless be taken up by a pizzeria and those of Dieredonck are already occupied by the Kawa café.
Thierry Goor constate : “It is very complicated to make culture cohabit, what we absolutely want to keep in this gallery, by strengthening this cultural aspect, and the Horeca aspect. But what is certain and certain is that without the Horeca, the gallery is dead.”
Because there is new in this file: a public inquiry has just started this Thursday, August 28, 2025 and will be opened until September 11. His goal? “”REguurize the change in allocation of a space of equipment of collective interest in trade and the change of use of 4 shops in catering shops with consumption on site and various works in the Bortier gallery […].”
In November 2024, Bruxelles Inter-Environment (IEB, Federation of neighborhood committees) had a complaint with the Urban.brussels regional administration to denounce the absence of permit concerning work in the Bortier gallery and its shops. Isabelle Marchal, IEB administrator complete today: “It has been a year since the work started, with the blessing of the land management. It is a public good. And all these works were done without going through the public inquiry box.“
The land management of the city of Brussels is the owner of the premises. The transformation project had been controversial and had given rise to a petition.
Information on this public inquiry can therefore be viewed on OpenPermites.brussels and on the site of the City of Brussels. People who wish can participate in a consultation committee on September 23, 2025.
