Visit El Born for shops from new designers, and the Diagonal and Passeig de Gràcia for high-end designer stores. The Eixample is good for offbeat fashion and excellent delicatessen, while Spanish wardrobe staples such as Mango, Zara and Adolfo Dominguez have stores all over town.
Santa Eulalia
In between the international brands on Passeig de Gracia, is the Spanish store Santa Eulalia in two levels.
Wonderful dresses by their own brand and a fine selection of the best items from designers like Chloé, Balenciaga and Manolo Blahnik.
Santa Eulalia, Passeig de Gracia, 93
Bulevard Rosa
On Bulevard Rosa several small shops are located, selling paper goods, children’s clothes and good designer bargains.
Bulevard Rosa, Passeig de Gracia, 55.
Vincon
Vincon is an up-style Spanish interior design shop. They have a good selection of wine glasses, designer cutlery, an impressive children’s department with lamps casting images on the walls, shoulder bags for men, giant cushions in red and orange colors and lots of cups and bowls with motives from fifties American diners.
Vincon, Passeig de Gracia, 96
Avinguda Diagonal is a good shopping street. You will find an entire passage full of shops in l’Illa, 557 and check out the store Jean Pierre Bua, Diagonal, 469 as well. They have a good selection and carry designers like Dries van Noten.
Bisazza Mosaic
On Calle de Valencia in Exaimple you will find an impressive store selling mosaics. It’s a show room for an international chain, with its flagship store in Barcelona. The facade alone is very elegant in silver and black.
Bisazza Mosaic, Calle de Valencia 300.
Iguapopshop
Almost across the street from the famous restaurant Comerc 24 is a fun little shop selling pop-art clothing and accessories.
Iguapopshop, Comerc 15.
In El Born is a flood of small shops.
Doctor Paper
At Doctor Paper you can buy secret ink for your secret love letters: L’encre sympathique! It’s pink ink - heat it over a candle, when reading your notes.
There are also secret diaries and patinated travel notebooks for all big capitals in Europe. Or your own personal cookbook to write your own recipes, with sections for cooking time, ingredients and kitchenware. You can find notebooks to keep track of what you served your guests, so no one will ever get the same meal twice. Or cutout dolls in every shape, from little girls with the hair color you desire to a fifties pin-up or a baby pin-up!
This is also the place to get chewing gum, which will provide you with a new hair-do ”Instant Afro Gum” and you can ”Last Supper after-dinner-mints”.
Jazz up your gift wraps with scotch tape with images of bacon or sausages.
Doctor Paper, Carrer del Rec, 40
Come Agua de Mayo
At Come Agua de Mayo you have to walk by the angry looking bearded gentleman in the front of the store. It’s the owner, so don’t be afraid, he is actually very nice and the shop has a good selection of clothing brands and great shoes. Go all the way to the back where you can find great bargains.
Como Agua de Mayo, l’Argenteria, 43
In Gracia there are lots of small cheap shops:
Plastic Marisol
Plastic Marisol specializes in plastic figurines! Famous Barca-soccer players, all the Smurfs, Tintin and Captain Haddock, and all the characters from The Lord of the Rings can be bought in tiny plastic versions.
Plastic Marisol, Carrer de la Mare de deu del Desemparats 18.
Freya
Freya is a store located right by Placa de la Virreina. It almost looks like a candy store with its enormous choice of artistically ornamented rings, necklaces and bracelets in every color imaginable. The owner, Teresa, is a charming woman. With her flaming red mane, she looks like one of the artists that she seeks out to produce all the jewelry for her little shop. She finds everything with local artists, it’s a young style and it’s not very expensive. A silver chain with a big red faceted stone is 18 Euros.
Freya, Carrer de Verdi 17.
By Katrine Salomon