Shopping in Barcelona for vintage and antique furniture
Updated: May 28, 2022
It was inevitable: the scent of musty moth balls mixed with burning incense sticks always reminded me of a place rich in history and full of character, thus new vintage shops have opened in Barcelona city, so I figured I would update this shopping blog as vintage shopping is an exciting way to explore Barcelona and it's possibly one of the most sustainable ways to shop.
Holding on to the ladder with both hands, a parrot began to repeat 'Hola señorita' a friendly chant to distract the attention of the drop below. I grasped the ladder with my right-hand and tried to reach up to the top row, if I miscalculate I will fall and break a bone! I could see the back of a woman standing down the aisle, so despite loosing myself in a vintage village, I am never alone.
The style, mood and function of a room will determine what type of vintage furniture to buy. A vintage object will always combine history and story telling from within the object its self. I say, 'usually', because it is important not to buy too many pieces of vintage furniture or vintage artefacts for a specific room...as you run the risk of it looking and smelling like nana's salon!
If like me, you enjoy reading and collecting paperback books about artists, art, music or sacred artefacts then read Nina Simone's Gum by Warren Ellis, featuring the essence of the American singer-song writer Nina Simone, captured by the drumming legend from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Warren Ellis. This book is proof that a genuine moment of rapture can be turned into a religious artefact about friendship, understanding and love. It's wonderful and it's definitely worth grasping onto a ladder to reach it.
Authentic objects like Nina's gum have history meandering within it and a story hiding behind it, and when we change the energy in a room it binds the universe, earth and humanity by celebrating yin and yang, creating an exertion and receiving the exertion. Vintage objects and furniture explore the past, present and future and as there are many vintage furniture shops and flea-markets in Barcelona, here I have only selected the best vintage shops in (and nearby) Barcelona for this article.
The 'best' based upon the variety of vintage furniture and objects available in a shop, the overall shopping experience, including location and the aesthetic of the vintage shop.
Vintage meaning; an object that is second-hand and 20-25-years old from today's date.
So, whether you are shopping for a 19th-century chest of drawers made of mahogany wood, with inlaid marquetry or an ancient coin-operated spacecraft for a child, you will find such treasures in these vintage furniture shops in Barcelona.
This is one of the best industrial unit, style vintage and antique furniture shops in Barcelona. The owners are friendly and they offer an assortment of vintage furniture and interiors in a spacious cold, ground floor warehouse. The shop is near the beach, so, you can easily kill two birds with one stone and if you can't carry the Bovenkamp chair below home, arrange delivery.
Mon Antic Barcelona has an unusual collection of vintage furniture, rare artefacts and reproduction objects and if you don't live in Barcelona you can shop online. You will be amazed by their hand-picked vintage collection and reproduction pieces.
3. Holala Plaza (Vintage)
I discovered Holala Vintage in Ibiza in my teenage years. It sells unique antiques, real vintage furniture and clothes, so if you want to take a trip down memory lane, shop here as it's a cool vintage furniture and clothes shop that smells of moth-balls, albeit, it is really good fun filtering through the past and the salespeople are super-friendly. Holala Plaza is located next to CCCB in Barcelona city, so, once again you can kill two birds with one stone, in fact, kill three as Picasso's favourite art-nouveau style cafe, dated 1896 4Gats is just 5-minutes by foot around the corner!
4. Mercat Dels Encants (Els Encants Vells)
Mercat Dels Encants is one of the oldest flea-markets in Europe. It was designed by B720 Fermin Vaxquex Architects who designed a large mirror ceiling with slightly inclined panels intertwining, which reflect the chaos of the market-traders and shoppers underneath. Mercat Dels Encants is the same-but-different to strolling through a pedestrian street, so if you enjoy innovative architecture and shopping with an open mind, take cash and enjoy the organised-chaos underneath this glorious mirrored structure. Step into this shopping space and you will one hundred percent forget that you are in Barcelona, Catalonia!
Of a weekend, I occasionally stroll past this small vintage and antique shop on Banys Nous, so I had to include it. If you are looking for a world (a small world) full of vintage antiques this is super cute and it has a traditional traders desk in the corner. It sells an interesting selection of vintage artefacts, framed art, vintage dolls and ornaments and wooden vintage furniture.
6. Mercantic Vintage Village in Sant Cugat Del Valles
Once upon a time, in 1956 a gentleman called Josep Barnils returned from an adventure to Equatorial Guinea (central Africa) and founded a ceramics factory. Since 1992 Mercantic Vintage village has been established as a shopping destination which is the go-to antique and flea shopping market for vintage and antique lovers alike. Situated just 25-minutes outside of Barcelona in Sant Cugat Del Valles, Mercantic Vintage village is a place to shop, explore, eat, drink, socialise and listen to live music and it is easily accessible by plane, train (Renfe) and automobile, furthermore, there are loads of places to park nearby.
Whether you are shopping for a particular piece of vintage furniture, a Catalonian modernista style stool, glass (melted-sand) or crystal chandelier (made with 5-30% lead), a 1920's gramophone, an antique wooden radio or a vintage oak bronze boat rudder, such nostalgic vintage objects are in abundance here. With more than 15,000m2 Mercantic Vintage village represents all eras, styles and prices.
With a variety of restaurants, bars, a live lounge and aisles of paperback books and LP's to filter, you are spoilt for choice here and it's worth mentioning Greta. A new vegan restaurant that opened a couple of weeks ago. The chef at Greta, has created a scrumptious vegan menu made with love, so if you don't shop until you drop, eat, drink and relax at Greta, or one of the many hang-outs located in this vintage village. There is something for every type of shopper here.
Mercantic Vintage village open hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10.00 until 20.00
Sunday from 10.00 until 15.00
If you enjoy travelling in a rich fantastical location and you are hoping to inject a familiar memory and talking point into your home or office seek out one, or all of these vintage shops in Barcelona and discover more by subscribing to my blog.
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