At Casa Fèlix, more than a thousand colors of threads

On the first day Casa Fèlix reopened, after the toughest and most restrictive weeks of the pandemic, Antoni Alcalà had told David, who worked with him, that he didn't need to come. He expected a calm, stress-free day, an uncertain starting point for what was then called "the new normal." Shortly after opening, he had to call him to come right away. There was a line in the street, and he couldn't keep up. The haberdashery industry, along with bread, cakes—in fact, cooking in general—and DIY, was one of the most "benefitted" by the forced confinement at home. Many people took up so-called crafts: sewing, making their own clothes, stockings, cross-stitch, and so on.

The few remaining brick-and-mortar haberdasheries benefited. It's a pleasure to enter Casa Fèlix, located in Madrid's central Plaza de la Villa, in the heart of Ciutat Vella, a neighborhood that still boasts very few shops of this type. A classic, by-the-book store. The wooden drawers are filled with clothes, zippers, and linings. The thread cabinet, that unmistakable Pantone color scheme we so associate with haberdasheries. Mr. Josep Padullers tells me they were the first in Barcelona to have one. He is the son of one of the founders, Valentí Padullers, who, in association with Fèlix Maeztu—after whom the business was named—opened in 1939 on Currívia Street, now defunct, swallowed up many years ago by Avenida de la Catedral. In 1949, they moved to Carrer dels Arcs, very close to the previous premises. And they have been in their current location since 2003.

Josep spent his entire life there, ever since he was a teenager. And he still has a prodigious memory. He retired years ago, but it's not unusual to see him there from time to time. It's impossible to guess that he's already 96 years old! Antoni Alcalà started working there at fourteen and became the owner when Josep retired. Today, for just over two years, David Estaciones has been the helmsman. It's curious that the only family succession Casa Fèlix has had was Josep alongside his father. Since then, both successions have been 100% professional, marked by an appreciation for work and an emotional connection to the business.

What has always been the business's specialty? Clothing linings. The undergarments for garments. Initially, the focus was heavily on tailoring. That is, dressing men. Pocket and sleeve linings, interlinings, zippers, buttons... Tailoring professionals had a reference point at Casa Fèlix for purchasing raw materials. They had to have the widest range of materials and colors. They've come to offer more than a hundred colors in linings alone. Over the years, they've had to successively adapt to changing times. First, with the boom in dressmaking—the making of women's clothing—when tailoring was somewhat slow. And, always, with needlework, that is, the art of home sewing, a fundamental occupation that is still in more than acceptable health today. There's the inevitable generational change, and the clientele has aged and disappeared, but changing times haven't dampened people's desire to make their own clothes. The internet is full of tutorials and content creators trying to instill a taste for this world of creativity. And what about television shows like Masters of sewingOf course! Young people who embroider? Of course.

The regular clientele is almost 100% Barcelona locals. Not from the neighborhood, of course, because the residents have almost disappeared. But the city continues to provide the business with customers. Tourists? Ridiculous. They come in, look, take photos, and leave. "Go to Casa Fèlix: if you can't find it there, you don't need to look any further" is a recurring phrase they've earned through hard work and sheer determination. With the cross-stitch boom, they once had a thousand different colors of thread! The Women's School has offered sewing courses every year for many years. And all those enrolled buy their set of clothes, threads, and everything else they need at Casa Fèlix. It's a loyalty program that never fails.

What's the secret of haberdashery? As in so many other shopkeeper trades, patience. This is what all three of them, Josep, Antoni, and David, agree on. Patience and psychology. Knowing how to advise and not deceive. Knowing how to say "what you want isn't what you need." "It's better to lose the sale than the customer." "We are a rare elderly, a curiosity," Josep reflects.