Paseo de Gràcia renews itself after the pandemic

Last January we learned that the maison Cartier has opened a temporary boutique in Casa Batlló that will remain open until June, the time that the renovation of its Barcelona store located on the same street, Paseo de Gràcia, will extend.

This pop-up is joined by other recent openings of high-end stores. For example, Balenciaga, Moncler, Golden Goose and Tiffany & Co opened new stores after the lockdown. In 2020, Nike opened its largest store in Spain. At the end of 2019, Inditex reinforced its position in the city with the reopening of a Zara megastore that has grown to 4,000 square meters (1,500 more). All in the same location.

Most of us know that the elegant Paseo is one of the most expensive in Spain, as many of the jewels of Catalan modernism are located here, such as Casa Batlló itself, or La Pedrera, under a beautiful canopy of trees that invites you to stroll and go shopping. Due to the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in tourists, some businesses have had a hard time, but recent openings show that the golden mile continues to shine crisis-proof.

The new maison Cartier has 300 square meters divided into two spaces. In the first, the firm's jewelry collections are exhibited. In the other, cultural encounters will be held through which a dialogue will be established between the different sources of inspiration that unite the brand with Gaudí's historic building.

The store is located on the first floor of the House, which is reached by elevator. An experience that is common in cities like Tokyo, where stores are not always on the ground floor in plain sight of pedestrians, and which reinforces the luxury experience, as the client is not seen when entering or leaving to do their shopping.

The history of Paseo de Gràcia has always been closely linked to commerce. In the past, it was a road that connected Barcelona with the Gràcia neighborhood and then became a leisure and residential space, when the urban planner Ildefons Cerdà proposed the Eixample at the end of the 19th century.

When the bourgeoisie established their homes here, merchants understood that they could not lose their big clients, moving to this place, where emblematic firms opened.

I always say that streets are modified according to the life of their commercial premises. Paseo de Gràcia has always been a very glamorous avenue that stopped shining in commerce for a few years due to the opening of banks, film production companies like Warner Bros, and car dealerships in 1950. These businesses do not invite tourists or residents to spend their free hours.

Over the years, it is recovering its identity and has become one of the most important luxury arteries in Spain and throughout Europe. Part of its success is the wide selection of brands offered on the same street, the care of the shop windows, and the professionalism of the boutique workers who offer a luxury service.

More than 160 stores fill this Paseo with life, making visiting it a complete experience. Historic Spanish brands like Gonzalo Comella and Furest bet on this location for many years. Some, like Santa Eulalia, have been open for more than half a century. Their commitment demonstrates the local retailer history and that it is not a street just for tourists.

A wide variety of restaurants and bars complete the area's offerings. Pasaje de la Concepción, a street located between Paseo de Gràcia and Rambla Catalunya, concentrates high-level restaurants, such as Pur, Petit Comitè, Boca Grande, Tragaluz, or Harry's.

From my point of view, to continue its good evolution, it would be ideal to reinforce commercial revitalization and bring stores closer to city events. The opening of a business like Eataly would bring a lot of dynamism, as it is an enormous gourmet temple of Italian gastronomy that is succeeding in many locations around the world.

It would also be very positive to recover the essence of some business like what Vinçon was, an international design reference that closed its doors in June 2015. Working on the lighting of Paseo de Gràcia would reinforce the feeling of security after sunset.