The galleries of Barcelona that resist thanks to ‘geek’ and artisanal stores: “It is a space for fantasy”

Social networks They sentenced last November to the historic Galeries Maller, in the center of Barcelona, ​​to a new decline. After resurfaceing in 2017 as the ‘Gender galleries’ of the Catalan capital for its table games, fantastic clothing and merchandising of Anime And films, the rumors about a possible crisis for the closure of several stores in the Kingdom of Toys, one of the main tenants, grew. After a while, the merchants say that it has not been so and several new shops had already been opened.

“That a merchant is gone is more aesthetic than at the level of descent of customers,” explains Mari Carmen Richart, owner of the Kutuleras store. For this working worker since 2018, “there was a bit of confusion at the beginning, but the gallery is still open.”

“There are people who have been fighting and working for a long time to continue,” adds Oriol, 53, owner of the Magic House of U12 Miniatures. This merchant, who has been in the galleries for nine years, is optimistic. “From here to spring the premises that are empty will rent and everything will be full,”.

Richart says that the loss of purchasing power has influenced a general sales decrease throughout Barcelona, ​​not only in galleries, and that, with international conflicts, the rise in light and the price of housing, Barcelona no longer have the same margin to afford to whims. Even so, it reaffirms that space is not the reason for the closure and rotation of premises, but a difficult commercial situation throughout the city. “It bothers me a lot to call us ghost galleries,” he adds, “because we have fought a lot to continue here.”

The initial bad press that received last November did not stop the entrance of new shops that opened its doors in the following months. “You are recovering quite well and good rhythm,” he confirms Sonia Gutiérrez, one of the space administrators. “The same shops that are already bringing more people and is surprising me positively,” he adds.

A historically difficult space

Gutierrez, who has been in charge of the space administration for more than two decades, could see how the galleries changed over time. “Before they were all small businesses and there were many indefinite contracts,” recalls the administrator. The successive crises led to the termination of the first contracts. The situation worsened with the closure in 2010 of the three stores that Maldà furniture had, which his day was “the engine” of the galleries, recalls Gutiérrez. “Then business rotation grew,” he explains.

The emblematic commercial space, open in 1942, has 1200 square meters. For many shops it is a challenge: the premises are small and without warehouse and, in addition, being hidden inside an enclosure, they find it more difficult to attract customers. In 2016, there was an attempt to rekindle the space and together various premises to the Tragaluz Restoration Group, but that same year the Barcelona City Council suspended all the new licenses related to tourism and leisure in the Ciutat Vella area and put an end to the project, leaving the empty galleries again.

It was then that the toy kingdom initiative arrived, which opened a Harry Potter thematic store in October 2017. “It worked because the space is very conducive to another type of business more related to fantasy, mystery and all this more handmade world,” value the administrator. In addition to that trade, the company opened other thematized businesses such as Thronestore BCN, Funko Barcelona or Kame Hame Shop that focused on the sale of merchandising.

The beginning of the ‘galleries geeks’

In addition to the premises of the Kingdom of Toys, now already closed, also arrived a real seamstress, an alternative clothing brand inspired by the Middle Ages and fairy tales. Its owner, Mariángeles Guisado, better known as Aassie, began his business on the Internet and his store in the Galleries Maldà was the first physical store he inaugurated. “Until I met the galleries, I do not consider opening a physical store,” explains this merchant, who emphasizes that in the Maldà “there are prices that are not in another place in the center of Barcelona and small but economical premises, something that can allow a craftsman.”

Aassie, after his first year in the commercial enclosure, convinced other artisans and artists to give the space a chance and presented the owners of the galleries a project to create a kind of camden of thematic stores. He affirms that due to the peculiarity of the premises that, being in the center of Barcelona, ​​have very few hours of loading and unloading, the owners were difficult to rent them, but for the artisans it did not suppose any paste. “We find the perfect tandem,” says the merchant.

Finally, in December 2018 Alassie opened its second store, Uchronic Time, together with four other merchants: Propcorn, Geek Skin, Cadmium Rose and Kutuleras. The kingdom of toys also continued to open new stores such as Super Geekt Market in 2019 and Power Magic Girls and Trolls in 2020, which helped consolidate the image of ‘Barcelona geek galleries’, a nickname that the groups and the usual community of customers of the Maldà has made its own.

The end of this boom of the Frikism It seemed to look out during the year 2024, when the kingdom of toys closed various stores both in Madrid and Barcelona for causes of the company. Currently, in the Catalan commercial enclosure, there is only a single place in the group inspired by the magical world of Harry Potter.

Despite the loss of one of the most local operators, Maldà has quickly hosted new artists and small merchants with stores such as Nekonook and Mystika of artisanal products or Bukiboom of toys, stuffed animals and collectibles.

They are not the only ones who bet on a second rebirth of the galleries. The Revolution Larp company has also done, a company dedicated to the organization of live role -up events. This group chose the space of the upper floor of the galleries to celebrate in February a great fictional dance where the guests can be transported for a day to the court of King Swan. It does so taking advantage of the architecture of the historic building, the Palau Maldà, which was built in the seventeenth century, but also taking into account the symbiosis that live role -event participants have with the galleries. “The Malleries space is frequented and consolidated in the community,” said Marc and Rachel, the organizers. Tickets for the first day sold out in a few days.