The Barcelona that is fading away: iconic businesses that have closed by 2025

BarcelonaBarcelona's commercial landscape has been changing rapidly for some time now. 2025 was no exception. Unfortunately, the year that just ended also brought a string of historic businesses in the Catalan capital that closed their doors after many years. There are more than those on the list, and surely many, despite not being considered historic landmarks of the city, left their mark on their neighborhoods, like the haberdashery of Natividad Elvira and Esteban Gómez, which closed after 59 years serving the residents of La Pau. But the year also ended with some good news, such as the rescue of the Sant Jordi bookstore and the Esplugues bakery.

Lanza Hardware Store

Among the nearly century-old businesses that have definitively closed their doors in 2025 in Barcelona is the Lanza hardware storeOpened in 1928, it formed, along with Ribas carpentry (1939) and Sáez plumbing (1940), what was known as the "Eixample miracle." A kind of oasis of traditional businesses amidst a Passeig de Sant Joan increasingly filled with bars and restaurants. This year it closed after the current owner, Jaume Llanza, retired at 82 without anyone to take over the shop his father and grandfather opened 97 years ago. Left behind are the more than 4,000 items stored in the hundreds of wooden crates that reached up to 5 meters high inside the shop.

Lesseps Stationery

In March, the Lesseps stationery storePerfumería Regia, which had opened its doors in 1909 on the ground floor of the Casas Ramos building in Barcelona's Plaça de Lesseps, closed its doors for good after 51 years of working there and 20 at the helm. Pepa Beltrán retired without finding anyone willing to take over. The long hours, the headaches of running such a business, and changing customer habits—with shoppers increasingly opting for the immediacy of platforms like Amazon—ultimately dealt the final blow to this historic shop in the Farró neighborhood.

2025 has also been a year of farewells for historic businesses on one of the city's main thoroughfares: Passeig de Gràcia. On January 31st, the last physical store of the emblematic [brand name missing] closed its doors. Regia Perfumerywhich had once boasted 13 locations in the city. Ninety-seven years ago, Josep Giralt opened the shop at number 39 Passeig de Gràcia, which his grandchildren have now decided to close due to changes in the perfume industry. The rise of large chains like Sephora and Primor—with stores just a few meters away—has dealt a final blow to this business, which had become popular for its exclusive perfume catalog.

Discos Revólver

Last year also brought difficult farewells for music lovers. In July, the legendary store closed its doors. Revolver RecordsOn Tallers Street. After more than three decades supplying Barcelona's most music-loving residents with vinyl records and CDs, and surviving even the rise of MP3s and online music, the iconic Raval record store with the red sign closed. It was overwhelmed by the rising price of records and, above all, by exorbitant rent, which made the business unsustainable. However, Revólver Records—the one with the green sign—remains open, operating independently and also selling records online.

Kasparo

Just a few meters from Discos Revólver, another victim of exorbitant rent prices in the city center was the also legendary Kasparo barThe bar in Plaça Vicenç Martorell—known to many Barcelonans simply as Plaça del Kasparo—closed its doors after 30 years under the management of Marcel·lí Carrera and Elisabeth Triadó. In this case, both were indeed prominent figures—their son, Alexandre Carrera, was prepared to continue the business—but the landlord's ambitions—they wanted to quadruple the rent—brought an end to one of the most iconic bars in the Raval neighborhood.

La Casa de las Zapatillas

Another iconic business that closed its doors in 2025 was the historic Casa de las Zapatillas (House of Slippers). This shop, which had supplied the Gothic Quarter with slippers, espadrilles, and other comfortable footwear since 1950, made quite a statement in July. In its case, it was a three-part farewell. In 2022, it had already had to close its historic location on Bajada de la Llibreteria due to real estate pressure. From there, it first moved to Carrer Freneria and shortly after to a municipal space on Carrer Sant Pere Més Alt. However, this year, Juan Carlos Iglesias, its owner, made quite a statement.

Ballester Bags

One of the oldest businesses to close in 2025 is Bolsos Ballester, a shop in the Sant Antoni neighborhood. After 115 years, this establishment on the corner of Tamarit and Comte d'Urgell streets closed its doors due to a lack of a successor. The shop's founding by Rafael Sorrosal and the five generations of the Ballester family who ran it are now just a memory. In addition to handbags, the business also offered suitcases, umbrellas, and shopping carts. It's a loss deeply felt by the residents of Sant Antoni, one of the neighborhoods most affected by gentrification in recent years.

Muebles Cáceres

The last business to close in 2025 was Muebles Cáceres, in Vila de Gràcia, also due to retirement. After 80 years, December 31st was the last day for these shops, without which it seems impossible to imagine Plaça de la Revolució. The family's various stores, with shopfronts on Carrer Teruel and in the square itself, have defined the landscape for all the residents of the area for many years. They have also left their mark on many homes in the neighborhood, whose residents will continue to enjoy the furniture they once bought, whether from Genaro first, Josep later, or Carme in recent years—the three generations of the Cáceres family who have run the business.

Librería Ona

Without leaving the Gràcia district, at the end of October we learned of the closure of another iconic business. Ona bookstore The Sant Jordi bookstore on Gran de Gràcia closed its doors for good six months after the death of its longtime owner, Montserrat Úbeda. Founded in 1962 on Gran Via, the shop was an iconic symbol of Catalan-language book distribution. It had already been forced to close in 2007 due to the financial difficulties of the distributor L'Arc de Berà, which owned the building on Gran Via where it was previously located. However, in 2010 it managed to reopen at number 217 Gran de Gràcia, where it remained for 15 years.

The exception of the Sant Jordi bookstore

The year began with the closure of another iconic business in the city. On Ferran Street, now overrun with souvenir shops and tourist restaurants, the Sant Jordi bookstore was forced to close its doors after the death of its bookseller, Josep Morales. The queues of people outside, waiting to buy one last book at this historic establishment, sparked a glimmer of hope that ultimately prevented the business from disappearing forever. Rafa Serra, Judit Giménez, and Albert Rial are on hand to report on this story. reopen Just a few weeks ago, the shop reopened, keeping the bookstore but adding a small gastronomic corner to help make the business viable. This success story has also been seen, for example, in a century-old bakery in Sants—the Esplugues bakery—which, after 128 years in the neighborhood, has managed to avoid closure thanks to a new generation of bakers who have maintained its name and spirit.