The Eixample welcomes another bookstore

BarcelonaLa Central opened a new location this Tuesday at 314 Carrer Consell de Cent in Barcelona, a peaceful area nestled amidst the hustle and bustle of the Eixample district and just minutes from Passeig de Gràcia. Already present in the Raval district, with the store on Carrer Elisabets, and on the other side of the Eixample district, on Carrer Mallorca, the new location is the third establishment in the city for the bookstore owned by the Italian group Feltrinelli.

The new Central bookstore smells of fresh paint and newly assembled shelves. This scent awakens the desire to browse and explore a space yet to be discovered. At midday, the bookstore was filled with attentive silence, with visitors stopping in front of the shelves, walking slowly, and letting themselves be guided by the light that enters through a large skylight in the center of the room.

The space, over 350 m², is spacious and spread over two floors. The upper floor, at street level, is dedicated primarily to fiction: Catalan, Spanish, international translations, and books in English. At the entrance, a prominent poetry section welcomes readers. Downstairs, on a smaller floor, there are young adult literature, horror, fantasy, and a small essay section. A hole in the ceiling lets in light and the murmur of those walking among the books, uniting the two floors with light and sound.

The booksellers are still unpacking boxes, arranging titles, and answering questions. Some visitors enter already looking for a specific work; others, perhaps somewhat disoriented tourists, arrive drawn by the atmosphere and the fresh air emanating from the Consell de Cent establishment, oblivious to the to the protests that La Central workers expressed a few days ago, denouncing "a regression of labor rights" due to "the company's imposition" of making them work on Sundays

The bookstore will officially open in September. Until then, it will be open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. For now, it is not planned to open on Sundays this summer.

For now, it has already captured the attention of those who stroll along this new pedestrian street. Relatively close by are other leading bookstores such as Ona, Laie, Documenta, Ventanas, and Altaïr, in addition to the Casa del Libro. In this highly competitive environment, La Central has chosen to focus especially on fiction. The project also includes its own café, yet to open, which will complete the literary experience.

The first day is for observing. More than buying, you browse. You go in to look and listen. Let's see if there really is room—and an audience—for a new bookstore in the Eixample. But, for now, it seems so. There's still a hunger for books and spaces to read them.