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Shopping in
Barcelona
A historic obsession with architecture and
design has created a city built on style, most
evident in its array of designer boutiques,
one-off stores and shopping high streets.Plaça Reial (Royal Plaza)
in the Barri GòticLa Rambla/Barri Gòtic
El Raval/La Ribera L’Eixample
COQUETTE
El Born in La Ribera is stuffed
with designer boutiques, and
Coquette is one of the most
revered. Its pared-back look
makes this ‘concept store’ an
attractive place to browse. It
stocks casual feminine wear by
labels such as Humanoid,
Vanessa Bruno, Uke and Hoss
Intropia (Carrer del Rec 65;
11am–3pm & 5–9pm Mon–Fri,
11.30am–9pm Sat).MERCAT DE LA
BOQUERIA
No Barcelona shopping trip
would be complete without a
pitstop at the Mercat de la
Boqueria in El Raval. This
central produce market is
housed in a Modernista-
influenced building, spilling
over with picnic provisions
including sea critters, sausages,
cheeses, the finest Jabugo ham
and sweets. It’s a classic, if
touristy, Barcelona experience- visit in the morning to explore
minus the crowds (boqueria.
info; La Rambla 91; closed Sun).
HOLALA! PLAZA
This Ibiza import in El Raval,
inspired by the Balearic island’s
long-established hippie
tradition, is an excellent hunting
ground for vintage treasures
with one of the best selections
of secondhand clothing in the
city. It also hosts an exhibition
space for temporary art displays
and live music performances.
Just south of here there’s a
cluster of stores selling more
pre-loved threads on Carrer de la
Riera Baixa (holala-ibiza.com;
Plaça de Castella 2; closed Sun).EL INGENIO
This institution – a whimsical
fantasy, old-time toy and joke
shop – just off La Rambla, is
crammed with Venetian masks,
marionettes, theatrical
accessories, wild costumes,
yo-yos, kazoos, unicycles and
other novelty items. The family
workshop makes papier-mâché
models used in many Catalan
festivals (el-ingenio.net; Carrer
d’en Rauric 6; closed Sun).ZOEN
In the heart of the old Jewish
quarter, Zoen is a tiny shop
selling finely crafted leather
goods made onsite in its public
workshop. It specialises in men’s
and women’s accessories with
an earthy yet contemporary look
and feel. Handbags, wallets,
belts, book covers and satchels
are among the one-of-a-kind
wares for sale (zoen.es; Carrer
de Sant Domènec del Call 15;
closed Sun).CERERÍA SUBIRÀ
Cerería Subirà has been churning
out candles and wax creations
since 1761 and is claimed to be
oldest shop in Barcelona. The
interior of its store has a
voluptuous, baroque quality;
even if you’re not interested in
myriad mounds of colourful
wax, it’s worth popping in for a
gawp at the olde-worlde setting
(Baixada de la Llibreteria 7;
closed Sun).BAGUÉS-MASRIERA
This high-end jewellery store is
a star amid a sea of big-name
brands on premier shopping
boulevard, Passeig de Gràcia. In
business since the 19th century, it
takes inspiration from its location
in the Modernista Casa Amatller,
and next to Gaudí’s Casa Batlló,
with some of its classic pieces
exhibiting an equally playful bent
(bagues-masriera.es; Passeig de
Gràcia 41; closed Sun).
EL BULEVARD DELS
ANTIQUARIS
This labyrinth of tiny antique
shops merits a morning’s
browsing, gathering more than
70 stores under one roof (on
the floor above the Bulevard
Rosa arcade) to offer the city’s
most varied selection of
collector’s pieces, ranging from
old porcelain dolls through to
fine crystal and African art
(bulevarddelsantiquaris.com;
Passeig de Gràcia 55; closed
Sun).LURDES BERGADA
The grid of streets either side of
Passeig de Gràcia supports chic
local designers who capture the
essence of Barcelona cool,
including this boutique run by
mother-and-son designer team
Lurdes Bergadà and Syngman
Cucala. Its relaxed, classy men’s
and women’s fashions use
natural fibres and have attracted
a cult following (lurdesbergada.
es; Bulevard Rosa, Passeig de
Gràcia 55; closed Sun).Jamon galore on display and for
sale at Mercat de la BoqueriaMarionettes of various cultural
icons inhabit El IngenioOne of many art galleries within
El Bulevard dels AntiquarisFold 2