The beautiful hydrangeas from the Olimpia florist

The history of a city never ends. Today, on the corner of Ronda de Sant Pau and Calle de Aldana in Barcelona, you'll find the Olymplia flower shop. It's been there since 1939. Do you know what used to be there? The fabulous Teatro Circo Olympia, a sumptuous building that was demolished in 1947 because they wanted to use the large amount of iron its structures contained.

"Money, always money," recalls Francisca Gimeno, who until six years ago ran the flower shop she had inherited, first from her parents and before that from her grandmother, Pepita Embid, the founder of the business in 1939. Francisca and Raquel Riba, Raquel Riba, the Olymplia, a beautiful building that hosted shows of all kinds: clowns, beasts, trapeze, revues, theater, etc. In one of the side doors, Pepita Embid—who came from selling flowers on La Rambla—set up the first location of the flower shop. It remained there until 1947, the year it was demolished. Until 1960, they occupied a small space right across the street until they were able to return, now in the new building, to the location the shop occupies to this day.

"The Artists' Florist" is the affectionate name Pepita kept throughout her life. And she lived to be over 100! She fondly remembers her cleaning lady. One of the famous "Viennas," the theater and musical troupe of the 1950s and 1960s—perhaps Arthur Kaps, perhaps Franz Joham—was a regular customer at the Olimpia and liked to pick the petals he bought from Pepita and eat the sweet centerpieces. Francisca still keeps a small photo of her grandmother with her father in front of one of the doors of the old flower shop in her wallet. The trade has been within her all her life: "I had a cradle that was a flower basket."

Raquel took over the business six years ago, when Francisca retired. The story is beautiful. Raquel's mother-in-law and Francisca were schoolmates, and one day, when the owner was already planning her retirement, she became the connection: "My daughter-in-law might be interested in continuing." And so it was. Raquel had always been interested in floral art and had taken courses. And a year of working together was the journey up to the present moment. But let's see, what does the florist's profession entail, what are its particularities, what is its special personality?

Francisca is clear: it is meticulous, attractive, sweet, and nervous. The last adjective is closely linked to celebrations, those days marked on the calendar that are inextricably linked with flowers. Essentially, Sant Jordi, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day. And Christmas, too, which is now stretched out like a piece of gum, between the end of November and December 24th. Before, it was concentrated between December 8th and Christmas. But, of course, things used to be a bit different, Francisca says: "Think we even worked on Christmas Day!"

Flower culture

Flower culture was also different. It was common for people to set aside a portion of their weekly budget to buy flowers to decorate their homes, just as they would buy food and everything else they needed for everyday life. "For many people, flowers in their homes are synonymous with joy, optimism, energy, and good vibes." This is no longer the case, Raquel says. Her clientele is diverse. There are loyal customers who make these types of purchases, but they are mostly foreigners and celebrities. expats"Abroad, they preserve this tradition of using flowers as home decorations much more." Approximately 80% of sales are gifts for special occasions—holidays, but also birthdays and romantic relationships—rather than for oneself.

Raquel, like Francisca, likes to have seasonal flowers. Although now, thanks to greenhouses, all kinds of varieties are available year-round. "Tulips are winter flowers, and I don't like to have them in summer because the customer won't have them for long." "Now the hydrangeas are beautiful!" Fresh flowers and plants reign supreme, as they always have, but since taking over the business, Raquel has also made a significant commitment to dried flowers. They also offer home delivery and gardening, and floral maintenance for hotels and offices. Before, during Francisca and her family's time, they also worked on Christmas and All Saints' Day decorations, funeral wreaths, and weddings; Raquel still does this last one.

And what do we do with Sant Jordi? They're doing very well; they have a very loyal clientele, signature roses, and the expertise to offer top-quality service and products. But they wrinkle their noses a little at so much intrusion and unfair competition: "It's a pain in the neck." And they give a figure: Between six and seven million roses are sold on Sant Jordi. Only two million are sold in florists.