A Starbucks in the oldest square in Spain: franchises beat traditional commerce in Valladolid

Count Ansúrez has a choice. The founder of Valladolid, immortalized sculpturally in the Plaza Mayor, can travel thousands of kilometers through the franchises. As a starter, a Japanese ramen; to continue, some burritos in the purest Mexican style; for the second, a very American Whopper burger; for dessert, some manolitos like those in Madrid; After dinner, a

very Instagrammable

Frappuccino

. The epicenter of Valladolid, with a sober Herrerian style as a tourist guide explains to a crowd of retirees, has lost the traditional shops in favor of the homogeneous chains, equally recognizable in New York, Beijing or the Castilian plateau. These businesses are replacing historic stores, closed due to lack of demand or high rents.

The City Council, for the moment, remains oblivious to those internationally identifiable corporate colors and neon lights. The square, considered the oldest in Spain, was established in 1561 after a terrible fire that modified the development of the city. Since then, these arcades have been housing various establishments and guaranteeing a very altered economic movement in recent years. The imminent opening of an Asian food franchise and another hamburger restaurant joins the brand new debut of a Starbucks, once reserved for metropolises and now expanded to provincial capitals. Meanwhile, a historic hardware store that has been in business for 130 years, home to any appliance for the kitchen and home, from melon scoopers to all kinds of knives, has closed its doors. The multinational settled in the headquarters of an old optician, a year ago it closed the recognizable Ambrosio Pérez jewelry store and the accounts of premises in the square look like this: 28 Valladolid businesses with domain of cafes and 10 representatives of foreign businesses, with hospitality in their majority, and some empty spaces.

“We've just been talking about it!” say Teresa Rodríguez and Ana Alberdi, 65 years old and pros, when asked about this trend. Between them they recite ancient businesses that were predecessors of those anodyne and modern substitutes. “There are no typical things in Valladolid, it's what gives the city its heritage, when we have visitors we don't take them to the Burger King,” criticizes Rodríguez, annoyed with this development. Women deny the destruction of the “commercial fabric” and “small businesses”, a major victim of rising rents and shifts in social consumption. They claim not to buy from those invaders and say goodbye with a “is that the one from the manolitos?” looking at the pastry shop, where croissants are sold as “traditional” despite being manufactured and deep-frozen as eldiario.es revealed in 2019. Cubero, a popular Valladolid pastry shop, closed a few months ago due to lack of generational replacement for that temple of sugar and Abyssinian.

The Councilor for Urban Planning, Ignacio Zarandona (PP), refers to this change in profile to “the times” and the loss of strength of traditional commerce. "We do not find it worrying that emblematic franchises appear, the serious thing would be if they did not come, they are the ones that can bet the most on these businesses and the strange thing is that we did not have a Starbucks," explains the mayor, aware that the financial capacity of these companies exceeds to the muscle of many local stores. “Traditional commerce is in good health although demands are changing.” The bookseller María José González and the coffee seller Pablo Moreno chat about these changes. “The more business, the more life, and the center is not dying, although I would prefer more local commerce,” she observes; He clarifies that their respective establishments, in that location and not in a neighborhood, depend more on tourists than on locals.

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Salvadora - "without a last name!" - and Salvador García, aged 75 and 53, find the growth of the chains fatal. They both enjoy ice cream from a Cantabrian brand despite having ice cream from Iborra, founded by Alicante nougat makers in 1900, on a side street. “At least these are not foreigners!” they excuse themselves. The retiree has just arrived, as his dark-haired man attests, from a week in Ibiza. “There are the same stores as here,” he laments, and his companion comments on the defeat of local commerce against the foreign investor muscle. The young people Alberto Pérez and Elvira Martínez, 30 years old, are laconic: “It is the law of life, everything is aimed at losing small businesses.” They do not usually resort to chains but sometimes, especially when hunger strikes, they lower the bar. They have not attended Starbucks nor do they show interest, although they consider that those in charge will have carried out a correct market study to locate themselves in the heart of Valladolid.

La Pollería

had less luck

, the victim of a trigger attack despite opening on the adjacent Calle de la Pasión. Waffles and crepes in the shape of a penis or vulva sparked interest in the first months but soon went out of style. Very close to the square, the opening of a McDonald's is being prepared. In front of the Starbucks, on the other side of the Plaza Mayor, there is another cafe with green cushions and white chairs. Make no mistake: in the first one, some young people chat, a teleworker concentrates in front of a Mac computer next to his daughter's pink scooter, and some kids wearing caps leave behind. In the second, the classic Lion d'Or café, you travel through time when you cross the threshold, both because of the decoration and the average age of the clientele.

“Two chamomiles with milk! And a chamomile with lemon and a pennyroyal,” exclaims a waiter in a classic uniform. At Starbucks, hair gel rules; Lacquer reigns here. The hustle and bustle prevents deep financial and socioeconomic reflections while the coffee maker expels steam furiously. One of the workers, with that half-joking, half-serious tone so difficult to decipher for those not initiated in Spanish humor, disdains the fear of new competitors and before turning to serve another infusion he launches his thesis: “We are the exception, all of us.” "They end up being the same and that way we will have exclusivity." The Plaza Mayor, at least, has not completely lost its essence. Two children play soccer between flowerbeds and lampposts without anyone, tourists or natives, telling them to stop playing with the ball.

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