The iconic bazaar on San Pablo street, open since 1929, closed its doors for good at the end of May. Competition from Amazon and the transformation of the Old Town are among the causes.
The third generation of the Fernández family has lowered the shutters at number 16 on San Pablo street. Casa Fernández, which opened in 1929 as a glassware shop and became a reference bazaar for Sevillians, could not withstand the push of e-commerce and the loss of residents in the city centre. The shop closed at the end of May, as confirmed by the owner, Mari Carmen Fernández.
From glassware to bazaar: a century of history
What started as a glassware shop run by Mari Carmen's grandfather expanded its offerings to become a true bazaar. On its shelves coexisted Italian coffee makers, clay kitchenware, stone mortars, toys, and small appliances. The philosophy was to sell what customers needed and that was hard to find elsewhere. The San Pablo shop became a classic, and the family even opened a second one on Castilla street in Triana, which is still operating.
"When my father took over the shop, it was like the first bazaar that existed before the Chinese stores came," recalls Fernández. The Seville shop was a place where it seemed impossible to leave without buying something. For decades, it was a must-stop for those looking for an original gift or a hard-to-find utensil.
The COVID pandemic accelerated the end: from shop to collection point
The pandemic marked a turning point. "Those who didn’t know how to shop online learned during COVID and never came back," summarises the owner. The family tried to adapt by incorporating new products and becoming a parcel collection point, but that ended up being a double-edged sword. The queues to collect orders prevented them from attending to the few customers who still wanted to shop. "The few people who came in to buy something couldn’t do so because there were so many queues. It’s a double-edged sword: it fills the shop, but only 5% actually buy," she explains.
The paradox was that many parcels contained items similar to those they sold. "You would see people picking up a blender or things that we also sold," laments Fernández. The parcel collection ended up being the business's tomb.
The city centre empties of residents and fills with tourists
The closure cannot be explained solely by the internet. Fernández points to the transformation of the Old Town: "Most people have left because many tourist apartments have been built. The few residents that remain are older or young people who now shop online." The family considered turning the shop into a souvenir store for tourists, but they discarded the idea. "It would have been like closing the shop and opening a different one. We would have kept the name, but not the essence," she states.
For Mari Carmen, maintaining the identity of the business was a priority. "We didn’t want to be just another souvenir shop," she asserts. The decision to close was tough, but inevitable. "We had been noticing a decline in sales for years, but after COVID, there was no turning back."
The closure of Casa Fernández adds to the list of historic businesses disappearing from the centre of Seville. The San Pablo shop had survived a civil war, the crisis of the 90s, and the arrival of large retail chains, but it could not withstand Amazon or touristification. However, the family keeps the Triana shop open, which remains true to its essence. "There are still residents there who come to shop," concludes Fernández.
You may also like
