Studio of Juan Garaizábal, one of the artists who lives in the neighborhood
Why Gabriel Lobo? Echoes of a street famous for being picturesque, artistic, restless, familiar, a street around which the daily life of the residential neighborhood of the visage and where small initiatives in the form of a business make whoever is behind the counter the owner himself. Direct attention, "the boss as shopkeeper" and imagination always after crossing the door . We had to go gossip. Pure professional 'deformation' between Calle Velázquez and Príncipe de Vergara.
FIRST STOP, THE HAMPTONS BLEU We have arranged to meet Fátima, one of the newcomers to Gabriel Lobo, at number 17. We are in The Hamptons Blue , a charming shoe store that opened its doors on September 1. We are talking about decoration, distinguished but with a fun and colorful touch that makes make you want to drink tea by the crackling fire : “I love fashion, I have been dedicating myself to it for 30 years and I always wanted to have a green living room with a fireplace where I could dedicate myself to it”. And why here? What does this street have that no other street has? “At Gabriel Lobo we all know each other and there is a very good relationship. Also, without having done anything yet on social networks, we are selling quite a lot!”.
The Hamptons Bleu, the Fátima shoe store at number 17
Their footwear is Spanish, French, German, Italian, English... Now, collections prepared for the rain. Although I'm more interested in a pair of silver mary janes that make you want to put on your shoes to make your heels click in the purest 'Wizard of Oz' style.
ART Coming out of the shoemaker's daydream, I see a diaphanous space, a full-length shop window, with some pieces on the interior walls and a striking neon that reads “OPEN” . And I say to myself: “I'M GOING”, like a fly towards the light at number 14. It's the **Pepe Pisa art gallery**. He greets me smiling and we talk between 'Nostalgia for a past' and 'Madurez', two works by Alberto Guerrero that Pepe patiently explains to me. Why a gallery on a street far from the artistic epicenter of the city? “In any place it is good to bring works of contemporary art closer to people; my goal is that, in a way, lose respect for him . In addition, in this neighborhood there are many artists who have their studio, such as Juan Garaizábal, Paula Varona or Luis Fega”.
Pepe did not always dedicate himself to art, in fact, he spent ten years of his life in the world of organizing weddings and events, but always with an aesthetic counterpoint that attracted him more than the 'sarao' itself . So he converted his office into his art gallery and today, an active member of the Cruza el Rayo Association, he accompanies me to the most colorful place on the street, the flower shop The Workshop . On the way we pass by 'the little square' and he tells me that the camaraderie between the businesses is such that they are working on several proposals to revitalize, even more so, the area: how about installing some sculptures from the gallery in the little square? Or make an urban garden with the help of the florist? And if a day of the "Lightning Cross" arises? Create spaces for bicycles and _skate_s? A treading of grapes with the help of the winery offices in the area? The philosophy is clear: if you put your shoulders to the wheel, the neighborhood wins. And for a win.
Pepe Pisa Gallery, always 'OPEN'
HATS, FLOWERS AND FLOWER HATS "Super Sally!" Pepe yells. And in this little shop at number 10, which could very well be part of a street in London's East End, appears Sally Lerma , responsible for the hydrangeas and roses that populate the corner of the square. Her accent is castizo. But her clear eyes, her freckles (in addition to her name, of course) make me suspicious: "Well, I've lived in Gabriel Lobo all my life, but when I was little I went to a school in England and I lived with my aunt. She dedicated herself to this, there all the ladies know how to 'make flowers'; my mother knows too. If it is in my genes! ”. And the genes rule but they didn't always do it. Sally worked for ten years in the financial market until she decided to take a gardening course in England and... drop everything for the love of the bouquet. In addition to 'The Workshop' she has a small school, 'The Flower School' , and her own personal crusade: “To make people know about flowers and lose respect for them. Yes, they are expensive, but with a few, wonders can be done”. Wonders as its star product, their 'hatboxes'.
Sally Lerma, flowers in the genes and in The Workshop
And from hatboxes to some Mad Hatter's perfect home. At number 18 there is ** Manuela Romero ** her shop, full of tulle, feathers, beads, brooches... And, of course, hats and headdresses the big stars. Her work has taken her to the world of cinema, where her creations have been seen with the costume designer Paco Delgado in films like 'Balada triste de Trumpeta' or ** 'Snow White' **. Soon we will see some of his works in ** 'Les Miserables' **, an American production film starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe . Manuela tells us: “I have lived in this neighborhood all my life, like my parents, who are artists; I dedicated myself to studying Fine Arts but I started with fashion 15 years ago... When there was no more room for fabrics and feathers at home, I decided to open my shop here”. There is no place like home. Some of the hats catch my attention: “They are vintage, some pillbox that I ordered from the United States to restore them ”.
In the atelier of Manuela Romero
URBAN AND... SPIRITUAL SPORTS It gives the feeling that in this street there is everything that we would find in a neighborhood, but concentrated in two simple sidewalks... And indeed. In addition to vintage hats and headdresses, there is room for the most urban style . Next Stop: Stance Shop . Sounds Joy Division . Are we in another Gabriel Lobo? No. In fact, we are in the 'whole life'. Francis Burgos opened his first skateboard shop 25 years ago. Today Stance Shop is still an institution in the world of skateboarding, selling brands that are not available in other stores. I talk to him on the phone: “We also organize events. For example, on December 2nd at the ** Skate Film Festival in Matadero **, we make the premiere of the film by Stacy Peralta that he presented at Sundance.” He is referring to 'Bones Brigade: An Autobiography', a review of the most revealing team in skateboarding formed in the early 80s, from which figures such as Tony Hawk or Rodney Mullen emerged. He keeps telling me: “By the way, the guy who is in the store right now was a professional skater...” And I realize that the one he had been talking to all that time was Alfonso Fernández... Things in life. Gabriel Lobo stuff.
From the most institutionalized of the neighborhood, we move on to the newest. Gabriela Salini she came to the neighborhood to see the installations of an old pavilion. Since August it is ** City Pilates Loft **, a center that she opened with the enthusiasm of this Argentinean who was dedicated to dance and who, after her muscular problems, saw in Pilates the necessary physical and mental solution. He shows me the machines, “in addition to the typical ones, we have reproductions of the original devices of Joseph Pilates, the creator of the method”. Everything here seems to have its distinctive point. All.
Stance Shop, the urban redoubt of Gabriel Lobo
OF REEDS AND TAPAS time for a stop in the pits : plays the reed and the top of the Alonzo Bar (Felipe Campos corner Gabriel Lobo), an institution in the neighborhood (and in Madrid). In 1957 Dionisio Alonso opened its doors: “ Before, all Príncipe de Vergara was a field . It was a construction zone and we served the workers wine from a bottle; now the specialty is cane, one of the best runs in Spain! ”. This says Julio, "Julito", son of the founder. Suddenly, the Galician gene jumps. Some oysters, some barnacles and some shrimp They yell at me from the sideboard. “They're from O Grove!” Julio tells me when he sees my eyes widen.
Definitely this small, minuscule bar has more than charm, intricacies. Who has had a beer here? Eyes looking at the ceiling and we start with the count: “ Rocío Dúrcal, Belén Ordóñez, José Luis Gallardo, Pajares, Di Stefano, Santamaría ... Y John Echanove , who is also a friend”, Julio tells us. This man who used to play soccer where there are now large buildings and family houses, cannot be seen outside the bar. And from his natural habitat he tells us that with the 'competition', with the new and released ** Bar Lobbo, ** there is nothing but camaraderie.
We headed there to talk to Jaime Calderon, the manager of the business of number 11 . The Lobbo Bar reopened its doors a year ago: "The idea was to maintain that typical neighborhood atmosphere but very well cared for, for the usual neighbors to come and also for young people." How? “ Here what we intend is to offer an artisan product, homemade, with a market price but with an original touch. ”. Jaime tells us that Lobbo, as a good howler, is becoming the street night spot , the perfect stop for the first drinks of the night.
This is how one of the best canes in Madrid is shot (Bar Alonso)
Lobbo, the first drinks of Gabriel Lobo
ARTISAN NOUGATS And there is no good night without a better breakfast. I enter the number 17 , next to Elena's shoe store. And the smell completely opens the floodgates of salivation: cookies, muffins, puff pastries, sobaos, biscuits ... All with transparent packaging, revealing these delicacies. What cruelty. “My father and my brother are nougat masters; they send me their Jijona nougat and here I dedicate myself to sell it freshly made and cut by weight, always in front of the customer Elena tells me. Starting in December, these delicatessens with denomination of origin will return to the shelves of Look and Fills . And be careful, they sell out in record time: "It's the fault of the mouth, ear . Here people test and recommend. As always, go."
"As always" says Elena. It does give me the feeling that Gabriel Lobo is "as usual". But with that restless touch that prevents it from becoming entrenched in a stale past . And for sample, the end of this escapade. Pepe Pisa wants to show me something before he heads to the newsroom and accompanies me to the study of Juan Garaizabal . I see the old neons, the work with iron, a staircase that seems infinite at the doors of this house-studio... Here, something different is breathed.
*** You may also be interested...** - Calle del Noviciado - All articles by María F. Carballo
Elena in Mira i Fills, pastry family where they exist