The thinking corner was, in many cases, that place where they sent us when we were little and had done some mischief. But, what if we tell you that in the Poble-sec neighborhood of Barcelona there is a corner that is not only for thinking, but for slowing down? To stop time? Well yes, it exists. It is about El Corner, a shop of flowers, books and vinyls located on Vallhonrat street, 27.
Its owner, Valentina Montone, explains to AMIC Cultura that the establishment was born just a couple of years ago due to a very deep need, they needed a place that would help them slow down, to lower the pace.
El Corner is that old flower shop that was on the corner, a space that brings together tangible things that can be important in daily life: flowers, books and vinyls. Three analog forms of life that invite us to stop and look at the things around us with more attention. An idea that the owner summarizes thus: "Slowing down the pace, automatic consumption and the way everything today happens without leaving a trace".
The dream of being a florist
Valentina's dream had always been to be a florist. From this idea, everything began to take shape in a quite natural way. As it also forms part of the shop Salvadiscos, the vinyls joined the project almost without thinking. And then the books appeared, like a missing piece but which, in reality, had always been present: objects that, like flowers or vinyls, have weight, smell, texture and their own time.
Neighborly relations
Valentina explains that, in a present completely conditioned by the digital, with ebooks, infinite playlists or even plastic flowers, bringing together these analog universes became a way to position oneself.
The Corner is a place that is built from the people who enter it. The majority are neighbors from the Poble-sec neighborhood, and that changes everything. "They come to look for a flower, to look at a record, and end up sharing who they are: musicians, illustrators, journalists... With them many conversations end up being generated. A simple flower can awaken in others another way of observing. There is something very alive in this exchange," says Valentina.
Montone adds that being in Poble-sec helps them a lot with their business idea, as he believes that this Barcelona neighborhood still preserves something increasingly difficult to find: slow time. "We always say it's a small secret we have to take care of. Here things happen calmly, and that completely permeates El Corner's project," he reflects.
Books, flowers and vinyls with their own soul
In the books section, although at first the idea was to focus on music, the space gradually expanded intuitively. Today, on its shelves, there is a bit of everything: poetry, illustration, narrative and also findings that address more political themes, especially linked to the feminist movement. Authors like Mariana Enriquez are very present there. "They are those books that you cannot not bring," says the owner.
With flowers, their objective is also clear: to kill the myth that having them is a luxury. “We work with seasonal flowers and, above all, we sell individual flowers. Each flower has its identity, its shape, its journey... We are interested in it being seen, understood, and its individuality appreciated,” explains Valentina.
That's why there are flowers starting from fifty cents, to make them accessible to everyone. In addition, they also make bouquets, and here lies another of the shop's peculiarities: they make them different from the rest of the florists, “freer, stranger, with varieties of flowers that are not usually easily found in other shops”, says the florist.
Another way to discover
El Corner is a place where the relationship with customers also forms part of the experience. "People learn, come back and tell you how long the flower lasted, how it opened, how it changed... And this exchange is part of the project as much as the product itself," explains Valentina.
Of this discovery also form part the store's vinyls, which coexist between novelties and second-hand pieces. They are not ordered by genres, but completely mixed, arranged so that whoever arrives looking for something specific ends up finding something completely different. A hip-hop lover, for example, can end up stumbling upon a salsa cover and make something unexpected happen.
Ultimately, El Corner does not want to be a traditional shop. According to its founder, it is "a way of living and sharing a sensibility: betting on what is physical, what is imperfect, what requires time". They do it from a nearby, neighborhood place, in a space where it is still possible to be surprised and reconnect with a more unhurried world.
