The century-old Llanza hardware store, part of the "miracle" of Passeig de Sant Joan, closes.

BarcelonaBarcelona is changing, and with it its residents and businesses. This time, it's another century-old store closing in the heart of the Eixample: the Llanza hardware store. The current owner, Jaume Llanza, is retiring at 92. And with him, one of the three long-standing businesses that had become a kind of symbol of resistance in the middle of Passeig de Sant Joan closes. The trio formed by the Llanza hardware store (1928), the Ribas carpentry shop (1939), and the Sáez plumbing shop (1940) was a kind of oasis in a stretch of avenue where bars, restaurants, and scooter rental shops proliferate. So much so that they were popularly called the miracle of the Eixample.

The Llanza hardware store represents a city that, little by little, is ceasing to exist. "Before, on the same street you had farms and grocery stores neighborhood. Further up, you had workshops that have had to leave Barcelona. Now you only have bars and more bars," laments Jaume Llanza. Today's Passeig de Sant Joan has nothing to do with the street from the beginning of the 20th century. If we look at the vicinity of the same hardware store, in the section between Avinguda Diagonal and Carrer Diputació, there are more than thirty-four blocks. Of these establishments, more than twenty-five have arrived after the renovation of the promenade, inaugurated in 2014. Others are aimed at tourism, such as scooter and bicycle rentals and self-service stores.

"Hardware stores like this one in Barcelona no longer exist. Now, everything is about large groups; there are no longer stores that feature unique pieces like mine," laments Llanza, who assumes that the shop opened by his father and grandfather 97 years ago will be repurposed. "The hardware trade no longer exists. There's no one who knows and understands both the materials and the experience here," he explains with his wife, Cristina Escué.

Although the shop has changed over time—in the last renovation, due to a water leak, the tiles, the store window, and the counter made by his ancestors were lost—more than 4,000 items still remain. All of them are contained within the hundreds of wooden crates that rise up to 5 meters high and are inventoried only in Llanza's head because, as he himself boasts, a computer has never entered the store. A unique stock that Llanza and Escué admit they don't know what to do with now.

Impact on neighboring businesses

The announcement of the hardware store's closure has also impacted the other two historic neighboring businesses. The carpentry and plumbing businesses will remain, for the time being, the last representatives of a Barcelona that is increasingly less present. Daniel Ribas and Antonio Sáez currently run Ribas Carpentry and Sáez Plumbing, respectively. Like Llanza, they are sons of workers at those stores and continue to maintain the family trade tradition. Llanza's departure brings them closer to reality, as neither business currently has a possible successor.

They believe that Llanza's departure means that "Passage Sant Joan is now less of a Passage Sant Joan." They also point out that the closure coincides with a time when the historic Can Soteras restaurant will become another fast-food franchise. "The change is noticeable. When my father lived here nearby, there was a bar (Bar Montserrat), and an oil painting shop where there's a scooter rental," explains Sáez, who also laments the loss of the connection between neighbors. "My father would stand with his wheelchair in the street and greet everyone who passed by. This avenue is nonexistent today," he explains. Sáez, who is the only one of the three who rents, is also concerned about the future of the plumbing business and considers it "a miracle" that it's still on Passeig Sant Joan.