This morning, El Periódico publishes a news that certainly does not leave indifferent anyone who is in love with our city.
In the heart of Barcelona, the urban landscape has undergone a remarkable and bittersweet change.
The latest blow has been the sad disappearance of an emblematic establishment that has left an indelible mark in the history and collective memory of the city. New-Phono, a temple for music lovers located in the century-old Ample street and with a history dating back to 1906, lowered its shutters last summer to give way today to a new and surprising transformation: a Chinese massage store.
The news has reverberated throughout Barcelona and has left many perplexed. New-Phono was much more than just a musical instrument store, it was a haven for music lovers, a place where notes and chords intertwined with personal stories and a shared passion for music.
Its closure triggered palpable anguish among Ciutat Vella’s merchant associations, which have seen the very essence of the area transform before their eyes.
Ample Street, a silent witness to change over the decades, has faced a series of transformations that have gradually eroded its neighborhood identity. The proliferation of foreign temporary residents and the opening of tourist businesses have altered the balance and coexistence that once defined this street. In addition, many emblematic establishments, which used to be the pillars of the community, have had to close their doors, leaving a gap in the city’s history and memory.
After saying goodbye in 2018, the Massó family, which had nurtured that specialty over generations, managed to find a worthy successor in Tico Música.
Municipal regulations, in an effort to preserve authenticity and limit the proliferation of tourist souvenir stores, explicitly prohibit the opening of new establishments of this type. However, as the saying goes, “as the law goes, so goes the trap”. Resourceful entrepreneurs have found ways to evade these restrictions, offering products that are presented as handicrafts or under the category of textile trade. This situation has generated debates about the true essence of the city and the impact of this commercial adaptation on local identity.
Every time a historic shutter comes down in Barcelona, a piece of the city’s rich history vanishes. The disappearance of places like New-Phono not only leaves the city orphaned of stores with identity, but also raises concerns about what comes next. In the particular case of Ample Street, the closure of New-Phono has left a particularly deep sense of emptiness. Not only has the space that once housed the music temple been blurred, but the transformation into an Asian massage store adds a new level of bewilderment.
The new life this stretch of Ample Street has taken on sheds light on a municipal policy of preserving emblematic commerce that, in this case, has proven ineffective. The promise to protect the essence of the city and its iconic places has proven difficult to deliver, leading to a deeper reflection on how commercial progress is balanced with Barcelona’s rich history and deep-rooted identity.
In short, New-Phono’s transformation from music-loving temple to Chinese massage store on Ample Street is not only a reminder of the constant evolution of cities, but also a call to action to preserve and respect the history and identity that shape our communities. Barcelona, like many other cities, faces a crucial challenge: how to evolve without sacrificing its soul.
[Fuente original de la noticia: De tienda centenaria a masajes asiáticos: nuevo desastre en el comercio emblemático de Barcelona ]
