Some charms tell the story of the world

If it were possible to travel to the past, one would have to visit Els Petits Encants first. In fact, it would be essential. The shop in Baixes de Sant Pere de Barcelona, which Francesc Raich i Puig has managed for twenty years, is a true institution in the Ribera neighborhood, an emblematic, beloved space, an oasis, a watchtower, a place to get lost for hours. All at once. Everything consists of objects from the past, as is customary in these fascinating and fabulous places we call encants.

Objects with history, that is what has always obsessed Francesc. To discover, to investigate, to ask about the history that object has lived until it reached his hands. Whose was it, where was it, who did it serve? Did that ceiling light illuminate a humble or rather well-off house? That modernist forging, what balcony had it supported? Did that wall clock keep good time or has it always been running late? Where did those bullfighting magazines appear? Why were those coins hidden behind a false wall? Knowing the history of an object is a treasure, a source of wisdom and knowledge that, moreover, can be transmitted and allows anyone who wishes to enrich themselves on any subject. And at Els Petits Encants, there are plenty of different subjects to be had.

Francesc's curiosity began at a very young age. At his grandparents' house, he already felt a passion for antique objects. For a tin box, for a set of tools, for some rusty nails. He became an agricultural technician and had a rabbit farm near Vilafranca del Penedès until the early 2000s. There, he was already accumulating everything, and quite a lot. Machines of all kinds, furniture, various paperwork, clocks, engines... It is impossible for him to list it all. Until in 2004 he was able to acquire the premises next to the Arc de Triomf to open a junk shop. This is how he defines himself, a junk dealer, not an antique dealer. A junk dealer, that profession which consists of knowing all the secrets of an antique object, not necessarily a very valuable one. Knowing that a basin and a jug as a pair are synonymous with how people used to wash their faces and hands. Knowing that a razor and a shaving foam bar were present in all bathrooms in the world. Knowing that a military helmet can be used to explain a war, a conflict, or a political regime. Knowing that postcards contain infinite lives hidden on the back, in the handwritten letter and in the postmark. Also, that glassware or household china can reveal a social class, and that a cinema poster holds attached dreams, desires, and fantasies.

Francesc is a junk dealer, a salesman, a prescriber, and also a bit of a psychologist. He can sell you whatever you want. Also all kinds of costume jewelry, hats, typewriters, cameras, games, and musical instruments. He also repairs lamps, clocks, and record players. He shows us the small workshop and the countless nooks full of piled-up things, through which it is almost impossible to move. All sorts of people come into the shop. Long-time neighborhood residents, regular customers for whom visiting the shop is already just another routine, and foreigners and tourists who are captivated and seduced by all the offerings they find there. There are those who buy something every week: a blotter, a lamp, a map, a poster, or a vase. There are religious images everywhere. They never end. We also stumble upon toys, trophies, ships, pens, lighters, frames, tools, fans, stoves, all kinds of ceramics, antique siphons, telephones, vinyl records...

A few weeks ago, Francesc sold an old telephone to a school. One of those where you had to turn a dial to dial the numbers. An object that surely must have been used to give a very good history lesson. A slice of past everyday life that explains who we were and where we are now. There are thousands of these kinds of stories at Els Petits Encants. It's worth going in and rescuing them.