Establecimientos emblemáticos
A façade, a thousand stories
They are the face of shops and premises in Palma with a history of hundreds of years. Some have survived the changes in the city. Others have been fortunate enough to fall into good hands and continue to conserve their essence, in spite of some touching up.
photography Íñigo Vega
Nearly 150 years ago La Pajarita (C. San Nicolás, 2-4) was already here. In fact, Archduke Ludwig Salvator frequented this delicatessen’s and confectioner’s shop in Palma, which has been run by the same family for five generations. This is where coffee and Möet Chandon were sold for the first time.
Before the big shopping malls existed, children used to dream of the shop windows of La Industrial (C. Quint, 8), the oldest toy shop in the city, which is still open, fortunately.
One emblematic store front is that of Mimbrería Vidal (C. dels Hostals, 4), from 1955, in the Sa Gerreria district, where Mallorcans and tourists continue to find their favourite baskets for the summer, or Colmado la Montaña (C. Jaime II, 27), where one can purchase delicious sobrasadas. Another survivor is the ironmonger’s La Central (C. Sant Magí, 37), open since 1908, and located in a beautiful Modernist building in the district of Santa Catalina. This style is also present in the entrance of Forn Fondo (C. Unión, 15), belonging to the Llull family, one of the most traditional bakeries. Meanwhile Relojería Alemana also has a hundred-year-old façade, at Calle Colón, 14, where Guillermo Krug opened this establishment before it came to be owned by the Fuster family. In Calle Jaime II, a shop specialising in umbrellas, walking sticks, sunshades and fans still survives, and the watchmaker Simoncelli has his tiny establishment in Calle San Miguel, with a curious, narrow façade which only has room for one window per floor. The café Las Columnas (C. Santo Domingo, 8) continues with the family business, although in the year it was created [...]
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