Girona: stores steeped in history

There are many ways to discover a city’s past and one is by exploring its network of local commerce. Today, we are going to take you on a tour of some of the oldest and most emblematic establishments in the Girona province capital.

Carrer dels Ciutadans, 17 is the address of one of the city’s oldest shops, Casa Llapart, which is still run by the same family that opened it back in 1847. It currently specialises in the sale of pillows and cushions, as well as the mattresses they have been manufacturing for decades. Originally, their mattresses were made of straw before the introduction of wool and then more modern materials, but one thing that has not changed is their commitment to making sure the people of Girona get a good night’s sleep.

On Carrer de les Ballesteries, pushing open the glass door with an ornate metal door pull in the shape of the letter R, we step inside the old Ramon Boix tin merchants store which has stood on this site since 1882. Boix was a tinsmith, who made petroleum and oil lamps, among other things. These days, the store is run by his grandson, who is also called Ramon Boix and is also a tinsmith but, in his case, specialising in armour.

At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking Casa Marieta was a museum, with its multitude of antique objects, paintings, stained glass windows and pieces or art, but it is, in fact, a restaurant. Located in Plaça de la Independencia it is one of the oldest restaurants, not only in Girona, but in the whole of Spain. It bears the affectionate diminutive name of its original founder, the entrepreneur, Maria Vinyoles, who opened it in 1892. Among the many famous figures who have passed through its doors to enjoy its delicious traditional Catalan cuisine, are one of the most fascinating couples in history: Gala and Dalí.

The window of the Arxé store, on Carrer Nou, has that magical ability to transport you to another era. It opened in 1934 as a men’s fashion and accessories store and, as such, was plentifully stocked with all sorts of hats, caps, berets and flat caps. For 20 years, that has been its speciality, selling hats in all sizes, shapes and colours, for both men and women, with the proud boast of being the only shop of its kind in the whole city.

Walking into the comprehensive modernista-style Colmado Moriscot store is also an adventure. This grocery shop on the Carrer dels Ciutadans opened in 1860 and is still going strong, selling all sorts of wines, spirits, beers and gourmet products. Imagine the stories these walls could tell, how many legendary items have graced the shelves and windows of this establishment, popularly known as Cal Gelabert!

Tens, hundreds, thousands of objects have been sold by Casa Boué since a French family set up shop here, next to the Pont de Pedra, in 1890, to offer knife, scissor and tool sharpening services. Now it is the place to go to buy all kinds of kitchen utensils and work tools and, in particular, high-quality knife sets. And, as the metal umbrella that has hung out front for so many years suggests, they also sell and repair umbrellas.

“We are obsessed with the incredible smell of our freshly baked bread, cakes and pastries.” That’s how the professionals at another of the city’s pioneering stores, the Antiga Casa Bellsolà sum up their passion for baking. Since 1892, they have been filling customers’ baskets with quality bread, cakes, pastries and savoury treats. With outlets all over the city, you can recognise them by their distinctive logo made up of two crossed ears of wheat.

And no review of Girona’s most historic stores would be complete without mentioning the Geli bookstore, one of the oldest in Catalonia. Pere Geli, who was born in Llampaies, opened his bookstore on 19 March 1879 in the basement of a large premises next to the Rambla de Girona from where he expanded both his catalogue and customer base. The store has recently moved to a new site, and can now be found, with all the same passion for books, at Carrer de l’Argenteria, 18.