Real Fábrica Española opens a physical store in the neighborhood of Las Letras
The Alpino paintings, the Rubio notebooks, the Chispas colony, Martínez Lacuesta vermouth, La Purísima paprika, Amatler chocolates, the Álvarez encyclopedia, violet candies…
Where are all those products of a lifetime? This is the question that many of us ask ourselves and that finally has an answer: in the neighborhood of Las Letras!
Royal Spanish Factory, that already had an online store, has just landed in the capital and every corner of the premises is a journey through time that will take you through your best memories.
Some have always been in our house, others we know from our parents and grandparents, and many others will become the perfect gift, the most beautiful object in your living room, in your kitchen, and even in your clothing!
The store is an authentic museum of the industrial history of our country
A DREAM, A JOURNEY AND A LOT OF NOSTALGIA
Rocio Munoz, creator of the Royal Spanish Factory, she is a native of Seville, where she studied Communication and Business. After working for a long time as an employee, she decided to take some time and give her life a new direction.
On her travels she realized that people abroad highly valued craftsmanship and brands with history. "It seems that the trend has begun to spread in Spain, but until recently they had not begun to give value to these traditional products," says Rocío.
This Sevillian restless by nature She spent two years traveling through our country collecting all those treasures that she found on her way. "And suddenly, when I had the warehouses of my family home in Punta Umbría full, I said to myself: now what do I do with all this?" She recalls.
Why Royal Spanish Factory? “For the manufactures created in the 18th century by the Bourbons: the Royal Factory of Tapestries, Clocks, Cloths… Above all, they manufactured luxury objects for the aristocracy of the time.” Rocío explains.
"The objective was to promote the country's economy by producing in Spain, since before all these products were brought from abroad. The game in the end makes sense, that is the reason why we decided to call it the Royal Spanish Factory”, she concludes.
For six years, the Real Fábrica online store has achieved give a new life to traditional Spanish products, revalue them and make them available to everyone those who missed them.
Decoration, books, gourmet products... the perfect (self) gift is at Real Fábrica!
But Rocío's dream was still to open the physical store. The search for the premises was not easy at all, none seemed good enough or well located. And then things changed when she found this space at number 9 Calle Cervantes, in the heart of the most traditional and literary Madrid.
“We are wall to wall with the House of Lope de Vega, corner with Quevedo street...”, says Rocío.
In addition, the idea is not only to sell these brands with history, but also to make the visit an experience and a journey through the history of Spanish industry. "It's like a museum, since behind those objects are the stories of people, closely linked to that of our country," she explains.
Rocío spent two years traveling around Spain discovering a multitude of brands with a history, many of them on the verge of disappearing
FOR THE KITCHEN
“We have many gourmet products, such as paprika from La Vera, Vic fuet, anchovies from Santoña, orange blossom water…”, Rocío comments. Orange blossom water? But isn't that used in perfumery? “Orange blossom water, from the Luca de Tena family, was used in the past in confectionery and is still used today for the roscón de Reyes and for gin and tonics!” Rocío told Traveler.es
They also sell many gourmet gift packs, companies and events. For example, packs 'Spain in a can' (with olive oil, Arroyabe anchovies, Ibiza salt, pâté…) or 'Cheese crazy'.
One of the most successful? “Without a doubt, the package 'Paquito the chocolatier', which comes in a basket with two mugs, a chocolate maker and hot chocolate Simon Cole” says Rocío.
On the packaging we can read: "Pack Paquito el Chocolatero to animate the stretcher tables of Spain".
And let's not forget the kits , ranging from the box with all the ingredients to make artisan bread, going through the to do your own gin or your own vermouth.
“One of my favorite products are the violet candies and the orange and lemon wedges , also caramel”, confesses Rocío. “These are very difficult products to find today. In fact, they stopped making them for three or four years. I'm so glad they're back and we've been able to remarket them,” she concludes.
"Pack Paquito el Chocolatero to animate the stretcher tables of Spain".
FOR THE SHOW OFF
“In the cosmetics section we have brands such as Maja, Álvarez Gómez and Maderas de Oriente. My favorites are the powders from the latter, because my grandmother used them”, says Rocío.
For them? The mythical Valencian brand of b Razor blushes, Vie-Long waves floid lotions they also take their place on the shelves of Real Fábrica.
The Jerte cherry, orange blossom and calendula soaps, signed by Olivia Soaps and Maja, they will make you feel in the middle of the field.
Woods from the East, the secret of our mothers and grandmothers
HOME AND DECORATION
“We have a lot of crafts: hearts of palm, esparto grass, ceramics, white clay from Agost, red clay from Extremadura, wicker animal heads, Gordiola glass... And everything 100% made in Spain!” Rocío tells us.
In her window hang three Montehermoso caps, that after being used in their day to work the Extremeño field became part of the regional costume. “These caps are still hand-braided by the only recognized artisan who continues this work,” she says.
In the middle of the store, a ladder serves as a perch for the mohair blankets from Ezcaray and those from León (known as the Maragatas del Val blankets).
"And what about these babutxes of Majorca lined with sheepskin? Rocío shows me enthusiastically. Next door, the mythical victoria sneakers take their place arranged by color.
Babutxes made in Mallorca by hand, with bovine skin and sheepskin
BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS
“There are books about gastronomy and Spanish cuisine, photography, history of Spain, of Madrid…”, Rocio says.
And let's not forget the famous Alvarez Encyclopedia, that she occupied the desks of a whole generation to learn that "the Ebro rises in Fontibre, province of Santander, passes through Logroño and Zaragoza and ends at Amposta, in the province of Tarragona".
FROM DISORIENTED TOURIST TO RETRO-LOVING NEOHIPSTER
“We reach very different audiences –says Rocío–, from the grandfather who comes looking for his shaving brush or Floid lotion to the young architecture student who loves the packaging of the product and the books about the old buildings of Madrid”.
anecdotes? "Many! And that we have only been open for a short time!” She exclaims. The other day a lady came to buy several things and shortly after she returned with some friends or relatives speaking English, she was enthusiastically telling them about everything product by product! ”, Rocío says.
The Álvarez Encyclopedia, with which generations and generations of children grew up
NOT JUST ANY STORY, BUT OUR STORY
There's a lot to do but Rocío's energy and illusion is infinite: “We would love to organize workshops with artisans so that people can see first hand how baskets, slippers, ceramics are made...”, she says.
It would also be great to do collaborations with brands. For example, we had a butterfly in the shop window made with Victoria sneakers in homage to the fable El Sueño de la Mariposa, referring to the resurgence of traditional Spanish brands, such as Victoria Shoes, which is more than a century old.
And it is that, in the end, that is the meaning of all this dream: to know our history through the products that our grandparents treated as everyday and that today are authentic treasures that we cannot let disappear.
The mythical violet candies