If you’re on vacation in Barcelona you might want to buy a present for the home front or, why not, for yourself. In this article there are three shops passing by at which you almost for sure will find  original presents: Vinçon, Kukuxumusu and Planelles Donat.

Vinçon

Vinçon is situated on Passeig de Gràcia 96. From the outside you probably don’t expect the store is so big and that it offers such a wide selection of products. You will find all possible present-day design articles for home and garden, exceptional presents for all ages, fun decoration articles and original bureau necessities. You can also visit Sala Vinçon, an exposition hall where graphic and industrial design is being exhibited.

Vinçon started off as an importer of Czech-Slovakian porcelain in 1934 in Barcelona. In 1941 the business moved to the Passeig de Gràcia. The store had his exposition room and big depot there. In 1957 the Amat family took over the store from Hugo Vinçon. They’re still the owners nowadays. Next to the store in Barcelona, Vinçon has also a store in Madrid and the web shop vincon.com.

Kukuxumusu

Kukuxumusu is a brand of design articles with an original or humoristic print. It is an initiative of three friends from the Spanish Pamplona, that in 1989 on festivals of San Fermín began with selling t-shirts with humoristic drawings on it. It was quiet a success and the trio decided to do the same in surrounding villages, repeatedly with t-shirts and adjusted prints and designs.

During the years the collection of Kukuxumusu is expanded a lot, now with socks, underwear, umbrellas, lunchboxes, postcards, office articles and so on. Everytime the designs are surprising and original in that way they’re the perfect gift for young and old. Kukuxumusu possesses their own shops spread over whole Spain and a web shop, but parts of the collection are also being sold in other stores. In Barcelona you’ll find stores of Kukuxumusu in the shopping-mall Boulevard Rosa on the Passeig de Gràcia 51, and on Carrer Argenteria 65.

Planelles Donat

Planelles Donat is a prestigious store specialized in all kinds of sweets. In the first place you can get ‘turrones’ there. That is a sort of nougat made in a lot of different tastes, as well in a hard as a soft version. Originally the ‘turrón’ is coming from Alicante but during Christmas it is being eaten in whole Spain. In 1850 the ancestors of the Planelles family already sold ‘turrones’ on the Christmas fair of Plaça Reial in Barcelona . Besides this they sell horchata. This is a kind of milk that is being prepared with earth almonds, water and sugar. Horchata is coming from Valencia and is especially been drunk a lot during the summer months. If you want to buy a present for a sweet tooth you’re at the good address at Planelles Donat. There are three stores in Barcelona: the Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel 7 and 25 and in Carrer Cucurulla 9.

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