Another century-old store disappears: Barcelona says goodbye to Papelería Lesseps

BarcelonaPapelería Lesseps opened its doors in 1908 on the ground floor of Casas Ramos, in Plaça de Lesseps in Barcelona. After more than a century of history, the store closes its doors for good this Friday. Pepa Beltrán has been working there for 51 years, 20 of them at the helm of the business. She is closing permanently because she is retiring and hasn't found anyone willing to take over.

Beltrán, who was born in 1959, began working as an apprentice at the stationery store when she was 14. When the owners died, their children rented the premises to her so she could run the business, which she has done until today, her retirement day. It's a day that is clearly special: Pepa is busy with customers who come to say goodbye to the store where they have bought office supplies, gift items, and books for so long. "It's been quite a busy morning," she says.

"There's no one to keep this," she explains. "This isn't a business anymore; these types of stores require long hours and cause a lot of headaches." Beltrán also points out that customers' shopping habits have changed and that businesses like Amazon allow for immediacy in a way that a local business like this one "can't": "People don't want to wait, and very few value the advice I can give."

The woman, who left the counter of an iconic stationery store empty this Friday, laments the working conditions of running the store. "You never get a salary. If you work one month, you can't spend the money because you'll surely need it the following month. Who wants this?" she asks. Retirement, while sad for a loyal clientele, is also more than deserved: "I haven't taken a vacation for I don't know how many years. I need the little money I make in August."

Pepa Beltrán regrets that no one will take over the premises so that it can continue as a stationery store: "I wish. I would be happier leaving." For the moment, the future of the business is uncertain. What is clear is that Papelería Lesseps joins the long list of iconic businesses that have had to close in the city. And that the Farró neighborhood is losing a trusted location that has served residents for no less than 117 years.