January 06, 2013

Novedades, Barcelona

When pounding the streets of Barcelona, I often see places that I want to know more about and yet most of the time, I never get around to furthering my investigations. There's always a coffee to be had, a plate of cheese to be tasted or a friend to meet. So this recent trip I took, I made it my mission to talk to people. Be it in English or my terribly rusty Spanish- I didn't care. It had to be done!

I had always seen this little shop named Novedades from the other side of the street at my favourite coffee haunt and wanted to venture within.
And so, one cool November evening, I pushed open the door and smiled at the friendly lady behind the counter.
Novedades Barcelona Peu de la Creu Lolitas literatura
Once inside the shop, you realise how very big the space is. Yes, the forefront has lots of things to admire including handmade clothes, textiles, lamps and vinyl graphics but it rapidly becomes apparent that a lot more is happening here behind the scenes. And so I set to myself to hardcore interrogating. 
It turns out that Novedades isn't just a shop brimming with great things but also the workshop space for not one but three creative characters. Novedades, shall we say, is the roof over three busy heads that beaver away to bring delights to the city of Barcelona.

Allow me to first introduce you to Maria del Mar. 
Hola Maria del Mar!
LOLITASbcn, novedades, peu de la creu, handmade,
Maria del Mar is a very lovely lady. Despite our language barrier, she was bubbly, friendly and ever so easy to understand. She explained to me that she was responsible for the textiles within the shop... including this top that I absolutely had to buy and wear to Caravelle for lunch the next day:
Her forte, however, is something very special indeed and known to Barcelona as 'LOLITASbcn'. 
LOLITASbcn is an incredible company, run by the talented hands of Maria del Mar within Novedades. She designs googly-eyed dolls, which can be customised as a gift to perfectly match the occasion, or person at the receiving end. 
Together, we flipped through her portfolio of wacky and wonderful creations. Customers can actually send a mini profile of the person they want created and Maria del Mar will sew her fingers off to create something completely unique and wonderful, drawing out the individual elements of that person right down to the very last button.
You can find out more about Maria del Mar and her creations by following her on Facebook or on her main website.
Novedades, Barcelona
The shop inside is beautifully appointed, with the warm illuminations of Imanol Ossa... our second creative soul of Novedades. Imanol is obsessed with lighting up everything he finds from items found on the street to old pianos, from which he takes the keys to form intricate designs. Basically anything he can lay his hands on and recycle forms part of his work.
He takes the combination of everyday items, working with the shapes, history and memories they present. 
Working from Novedades with his lovely assistant, Imanol completes commissions for local companies, like Betty Ford's and also collaborates with artists and architects in different exhibitions. 
Imanol Ossa, Novedades, Lamparas, Barcelona
You can find out more about Imanol at his main website.

Last but not least, is Marta. Marta designs and prints her own vinyl stickers. She's heavily involved in the 'baby scene' of Barcelona, collaborating with all kinds of souls on many different levels. She loves her space at the Novedades shop, where she can have coffee with the others and her own creative area. For adults and kids alike, she prints stickers of animals, words inspired by her favourite texts and many other things. Marta makes her business out of making the imagination visual.
Hola Marta!
Marta, Literatura Vertical, Barcelona, Peu de la Creu, Novedades
To find out more about Marta and her compatriots, go to her website, follow her on twitter or support her pretty work on Facebook.

To find the shop, simply follow the map below... and don't forget to say hi to Aimee and Marcos across the street at Satan's Coffee Corner and Grey Street


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