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Want Fulfilling
photos by Álex Ubach Carrera
(The old A-Z (mes o menys))
Botiga de Tot Amb Gracia
C/ Mila i Fontanals, 51
In this lovely haven of all that is good and reusable you can
find all your money-saving crisis-solutions, including great,
old and secondhand: boots, bags, bolsos, belts, beer steins,
bracelets, binders, books, bookmarks, Barbies, Barbies with
casero haircuts, blouses, blenders, candlesticks, coffee table
books, cuadros, cages, cocktail glasses, coffee cups, combs,
compilations, cafeteras, chandeliers, calcetines para el mobil,
candelabras, DVDs, encyclopaedias, 45s, fans, figurines,
photo albums, fabric, forks, flats, gafas, gafas de sol, gloves,
hats, heels, jarras, jackets, lamps, LPs, lighters, mugs, napkins,
necklaces, knives, overcoats, pipes, platters, pants, pens,
plates, porrones, rings, radios, revistas, rainboots, Reader’s
Digests, socks, CDs, seltzer bottles, spoons, skirts, scarves,
ceniceros, suitcases, sets, stuffed animals, shot glasses, shirts,
typewriters, typewriters in suitcases, ties, tables, trophies,
umbrellas, vermouth glasses, vests, VHS, vases, xmas ornaments
and xmas decorations. Y zats zat.
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Mailuna
Valldonzella 48
You‘re shopping. C/ Pelayo is a complete follón and deep
down you wanna step out of the fast-moving river of city-center
consumerism and put a bullet in your head. Oh, Baby
Jesus, what can you do?? Do not fear, young revolutionary
brother, there is a place called Mailuna waiting with open
arms. She‘ll make you a warm cup of tea (from the 50+ varieties
on offer). She has a book, a Biblia de Tes, that explains all
your options. Relaxing music and the sounds of trickling
water melt your icy urban exterior. Old artefacts from El Raval
pasado put you in a different Barcelona, before the hordes
arrived. Maybe you‘re hungry, little one? Hungry and tired?
This little slice of heaven offers a combination meal plus
20 minutes in a massage chair plus 20-30 minutes of siesta
in one of their relaxation rooms upstairs. She even offers you
a relaxing place to smoke. Even your mother doesn’t do
that.
(Rock me, baby!)
Mujer
Carders 28
Why do adults dress up their bebes in these ridiculous pastel
colors? Don’t they love them? Dear mummies and daddies,
your babies are not bonbones. Your children will never learn
a proper word if you don’t stop talking to them in googoogaga-
baby-speak, so why should they develop a proper sense
of style if you continue to dress them in light-blue and light-
yellow? If you want them to be rock stars and artists and
part of the cool gang at school, get them proper wear – stuff
that’s comfi and cool: T-Shirts of rock bands you venerated
when you where young, funky polka dot panties to wrap that
puffy-diaper-butt into, soft moccasins adorned with a silver
e-guitar to keep their little feet warm while they sing their
first tunes. You’ll find all that and much more at Mujer, a typical
little Brightonian shop filled with lots of great baby related
clothes and toys and games on Carders in La Ribera. If
you are really concerned about the future of your kids, take
a break from babybluelandia. Give them a chance.
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(Heaven (with UV protection))
Wilde
Carrer de Joaquín Costa 2
Yes, this shop already has a name. But it should be changed
immediately to the “Not-so-subtly Specialized Sunglasses
Emporium.” It takes 0.036 seconds to realize this is a vintage-
sunglasses-freak’s dream shop. You walk in and...guess
what? That’s it! There’s no entry, no other room. Really there’s
almost no space. It’s about the size of your bathroom. Enter,
spin, look. You’re done. You’ve seen it all. Now it’s time to try
on. Sunglasses. Lots of ‘em. And for being such a small, simple
store, the owners have done a fabulous job not only selecting
some of the coolest vintage gafas you’ve ever seen,
they’ve done a good job of arranging them too. None of that
traditional cheesy (and shitty), unstable, spinning sunglasses
display-er type thingy. No, friends. They are delicately
hung, lightly rested and raised up on pedestals; in short, treated
just as they should be. So when you need to spend a day
being Marlene Dietrich or Elton John, this is your one-stop
costume shop.
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(A little lime with my cotton)
Lima Loca
Calle Perla 10-12
This new addition to the seemingly endless array of Gràcia
boutiques wants to cover your torso (and only your torso)
with something a bit more interesting than your average wear.
The people behind the Loca are a group of designers who are
“tired of seeing ugly, boring, stupid t-shirts,” and while that
may seem quite judgemental, they’re very nice people. Luckily
for us, their negative view of the average t-shirt is what
has led them to make all of their shirts (and sweatshirts) limited
editions. Most are very colourful, save the classic blacks,
and nearly all of them express something very specific.
Take, for example, the “Franco ha muerto,” the, “Star Warras,”
and the, “Tutan-Kamon-Everybody,” (a personal favourite).
The selection is impressive and whether you dig on the oddly
sexual, the I’m-one-of-those-people-that-advertise-my-drugtaking-
habits-on-my-shirt, or the generally recognized cultural
symbols (Bruce Lee, Knight Rider, Mister T) you’re likely
to find a special design for that special someone...You!
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