The Ball, collecting as medicine for the soul

Ali Baba's cave is full of treasures. Cabini's cave is too. Treasures that excite you and satisfy your memory. This cave is called La Bola and it is on Sepúlveda street, right by Universitat square. Cabini is Jordi Viñas, but everyone calls him that because it was the name of his father's transport company and the huge letters on the truck remained in the memory of all those who saw him enter and leave the Encants every day. Half a century has passed since then, and for many years now, Jordi has turned his little corner, on the border of the Eixample and Sant Antoni, into a temple for fanatics of all kinds of collecting.

You can spend hours just looking at the contents of the cabinets bursting with things; the variety is mind-blowing: beer bottles, yo-yos, corkscrews, stickers, old photos, rolling paper, keychains, pennants, lead soldiers, rubber cowboys and Indians, nativity scene figures... All kinds of toys. From toy cars of every brand to the legendary Madelman figures and Nancy doll outfits. The paths of collecting are eternal and highly varied.

Long-time customers still stop by La Bola, those who are chasing to complete their comic book collection because an impossible issue eludes them, and also those who cannot contain the urge to add two, three, or four vinyls to their growing record collection every week. This case, vinyl, is worthy of study. Jordi is very clear that right now it is what he sells the most. In fact, you only need to take a look to see that it is what takes up the most space inside the shop. The vinyl revival has been a phenomenon for years now. There are those who are moved by the fetishism of the object, but also those who like to listen to music with this medium. And with CDs! Which are now also rising from their ashes.

These days at La Bola they are busy, they have set up a stand at the Antique and Second-Hand Book Fair on Passeig de Gràcia, a true Barcelona classic. They also set up a stand at the Comic Fair, which is another of their specialties. Now what is in fashion is superhero comics, both classic and modern. On the other hand, classic comics –TBO, Pulgarcito, Capitán Trueno– which had been a mainstay, are on the decline. The world of toys is also a universe of sidereal immensity. For many years, the classics were like gold: Madelman, Nancy, Geyperman, toy cars, toy soldiers, etc. Today, certain toys from the 90s and 2000s will be snatched from your hands sooner than these others. And advertising? Well, another fascinating topic. Old posters were once like cash in hand. Now it is much harder to sell. Also because there is less supply. “Unless a collector dies and the entire collection appears on the market, it is much harder for interesting pieces to come out”.

To know the origins of La Bola I have to go back almost fifty years. When Jordi and his sister sold all kinds of second-hand objects at the Encants market. With Albert, his first partner, they opened the first shop, Casa Usher, on Carrer d'Aragó in 1986. And in 1994, with Miquel, the new partner, in 1994 La Bola on Sepúlveda. Two simultaneous shops! And operating at full capacity. In 1999 Casa Usher left Aragó and moved to Poblenou. Until the misfortune of Miquel's unexpected death – everyone called him Mike – in 2012 and everything was unified at the Sepúlveda premises. In about two years, Cabini is thinking about retiring. It is his time. But he still enjoys discovering lost treasures among different piles of records or comics that someone has listened to or read a pile of times and who knows if they can now enjoy a second, third, or fourth life in the hands of a new owner.

Before the Internet era, everything sold. Now the competition has multiplied exponentially and it is harder. The hotels in the area provide La Bola with potential clients. Both those fascinated by vintage, and by old posters, and by a vinyl of Queen, U2, Supertramp, or the Beatles. Music, comics, and old books are the most effective medicine for the soul. At La Bola they can prescribe them all.