Folks,

Here is the upcoming trip... 4 days in Madrid, then 4 in Barcelona and 4 in Lisbon. Interested in good quality, but not necessarily high end labeled, leathers, shoes, and linens. Two questions: If we are traveling in that order, shall we wait until Lisbon to buy or are the best leathers and prices in Madrid or Barcelona? and If we are staying in the Atocha neighborhood in Madrid, the Poble Sec neighborhood in Barcelona and the Baixa neighborhood in Lisbon, are there some specific recommendations of local stores, though we expect to get around all cities.

Gracias!!

Check out Paris em Lisboa in Lisbon for Linen. Fabulous store- I bought white cotton coverlets for all my beds and had them shipped home. Also A Vida Portuguesa for all things made in Portugal. I bought a wool blanket and all kinds of souvenirs there. Absolutely gorgeous store. Have fun!

If interested in leather gloves, be sure to go to Luvaria Ulisses in Lisbon. Wonderful workmanship from a tiny store:

Luvaria Ulisses - History

Go to the A VIDA PORTUGUESA store near restaurant Ramiro; it is the largest and has a vast range of temptations.

Claus Porto soaps are a nice treat from Lisbon. And do not forget sardines!

I've taken many trips to Spain in the last ten years and can share with you that if you are not looking at high end, there are no great deals on leather bags or shoes. I used to bring home full suitcases of clothes and leather from Spain and Italy. (I still have my black cape from Sesena that I bought in the 80s in Madrid) No more. I do recommend Sesena, though, if you would wear this type of stuff.

https://www.sesena.com/en/


If you want Loewe quality you can save some money with the detaxe.
Otherwise the leatgher quality is not what is was, in my opinion. One notable exception for clothing is Zara, which has huge stores with fabulous clothes at great prices. And Massimo Dutti, their higher-end sibling.

I tend to buy household stuff and food, along with Zara.

For quality leather goods, head to Andalucia ! Go to Ubrique which is between Ronda and Arcos. You will be stunned. You'll buy yourself wonderful things plus
mamy Christmas presents for others !!

Bedar, I've long been curious about the leather in Ubrique.
Spanish Vogue did a story on the town and all of the famouos designer leather goods made there. But can you buy leather ofo that top quality in the retail stores? ARe there any factory stores selling second quality items?




There's another town, within a drive of Toledo, that is also touted for leather and has been said to the the source of some of the material used by Loewe. I forget the name right now but maybe you know it and, if so, same question--really top quality and accessible for tourists?

Factory stores in Ubrique ? This ain't NJ !!!

The town of Toledo to which ekscrunchy refers is Las Ventas con Peña Aguilera
Las Ventas con Pe?a Aguilera

Yeah, I do know it's not New Jersey, but they do have big outlet malls in Europe. That's not what I'm asking about, though. I wondered if some of the smaller manufacturers had small shops attached to their workshops where they got rid if items that had some small imperfections. Just curious, not going to put it on my itinerary and buy a ticket right now.

Thank you, Revulgo!

I lived in Ain for many years and did exploring all by myself - no need to have anyone hold my hand and translate for me. I suppose it's nice to have these malls for the lame or budget minded. BTW, are they really cheaper ? Lots of people here shop online thinking they're getting bargains, but are they ? I haven't found Amazon to be cheer, for example. For some books, yes. Otherwise, no. I shop retail shops and that's it. There are plenty of sales there. In Spain there are less sales. So it goes (Vonnegut).

But I was not asking about outlet malls, and to answer your question, I am not a big fan but I do think there is some limited appeal for the budget minded. I also think one can do just as well at sale times in "regular" retail stores. But what's this about translating? I never mentioned that.

I do shop online for basic stuff and books, just to save me the trek to a large store (all those "big box places" in the US; the small local shops have vamoosed from many towns) for boring stuff that I need around the house. A garden hose, let's say. And books, but those I almost always borrow from the library.

Anyway, you have been a big help to me here through the years, so thank you for that!!

Sorry, Eks. I still do not know how to manage the new format here plus my iPad likes to misbehave with regard to writing !

hey, a NYer never forgets how to shop. I left NY in '64, went to Paris for three years (with frequent trips to Spain)? Then on to SoCal where I was at UCLA, then 3 yrs grad school in London. In '72 moved to Mojacar, Almeria, thence to Bedar which is in the mountains above Mojacar. From there moved to Morocco, thence back to NY in '81. Did 10 yrs there before moving here to near Reno, NV, where we've been for going on 27 yrs ! We moved here for probably the same reason you have that place in FL - taxes !! Of course, we also like it here - no humidity, visually appealing, skiing at Tahoe, near SF, etc. So you can see I've done a lot of shopping all over the place .
here I can't have deliveries made because of our drive - a 45 degree angle promotes trucks tearing up the drive - no Fedex or UPS for me. We are at 7,000 ft so need to go down the hill for food and everything else. I can have deliveries made by sending stuff to my daughter's house in the valley but try to avoid that. I only shop Amazon when I can't find something elsewhere or when it's way cheaper, like books. Plus, I don'tlike Jeff Bezos.
translating - I just meant that in places like Ubrique (or PARIS) I have no need for a translator's help. I speak those languages and others.

Wow, I sent this thread to my ex in La Coruna, and HE wants to add more info on Spain !

We are not shoppers, so we go to Corte Inglés . If you came to our apartment, you would think we left the block.

And if anyone wants to buy my novel on Amazon, send me a message, otherwise I am not a fan of their efforts for world domination.

Hey, E. Villager. We are not shoppers either. Why ? Because we are older and already have everything. If I bring back Spanish souvenirs for others, I get castanets for kids and fans for adults. Easy to pack.
​​​​​​​Sorry, I don't read novels but would like to know the title of yours !

Even when we were younger, we were not shoppers. We did, however, buy a birthday present for a BIL, at the 100 year old knife shop on the Placa del Pi, Barcelona called Ganiveteria Roca made of Obsidian glass. Next time you are in that neighborhood, stop in.
I will send you a notification about the book, thanks for the interest.

IMD - another reason I don't read so much anymore is that I have macular degeneration ! Also, have been given 3 mos or less to live. Now I read obits in the NYT and elsewhere. Couldn't get in the Amazon page.

​​​​​​​Bedar

how about Toledo knives or those from Alacete ? While yours sounds interesting, we simply don't go to Barcelona. Did that in the 60s.

Typo - Albacete !

i read from the bottom up. I hope I have missed something and that doesn’t mean what it seems to mean.