Culture, Sports and Tourism
DESCRIPTION
At this shop in Plaza Mayor Tourist Information Centre, housed in the historic Casa de la Panadería building, you can purchase souvenirs from Madrid made by its artisans, whose work is grounded in the city's most deeply-rooted traditions.
Designed by architect Izaskun Chinchilla, the shop is a veritable showcase of Madrid’s life and culture. The layout of its display cases calls to mind the city's old corralas, traditional 17th century residential buildings, with their balconies full of flowers, as well as its corrales de comedias (open-air theatres). But it also has the air of a vibrant, buzzing market, with wooden stalls covered by colourful cloths. Make sure to get a good look at the ceiling, which is decorated with little pieces of methacrylate in different colours that are held on by porcelain hands, reminding us that the work of Madrid's designers and artisans depends on their mutual collaboration.
Products sold include handmade leather bags by Oficio Studio, jewellery by Andrés Gallardo, capes by Capas Seseña, silk handkerchiefs painted by Natalia Lumbreras, jute bags by The Atypical Project, books, travel guides, pens, traditional violet sweets, flat caps (known as pichi or parpusa caps), picnic hampers with everything you need to make a fantastic cup of hot chocolate, San Isidro whistles, fragrances and soap by the firm Álvarez Gómez, chocolate Meninas (the ladies-in-waiting from Velázquez’s famous painting), typical preserved foods from Madrid and traditional wafers.
OBJECTIVES
Madrid’s official souvenir shop aims to bring new experience-based, interpretive, inspiring meaning to the city of Madrid, giving visitors an idea of our city’s historic, artistic and socio-cultural values, which are represented in the work of our artisans and creators and in Madrid-inspired products.
“Tienda de la Casa de la Panadería”, the shop’s official name, aspires to be a showcase for an inspiring, first-rate Madrid where craftsmanship and tradition exist side by side with the utterly modern, contemporary design of our city. It's a prime location to experience Madrid, admiring its distinctive architecture, its typical products and the latest trends among its creators and artisans.
INVESTMENT
117,000 euros has been invested in this project.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
tienda@esmadrid.com
