"Everything is changing for the worse": More and more traditional shops are closing
In Palma de Mallorca, traditional businesses are increasingly closing. Owners complain about the increasing displacement caused by mass tourism. Long-established shops are being replaced by franchises.
Ca Donya Angela is closing after 340 years. His business, which has been in the family for 340 years, has turned into a kind of museum , owner Miquel Aguiló recently complained to the Mallorca Zeitung . It's no longer appropriate. The historic haberdashery Ca Donya Àngela, the oldest business in Mallorca, won't be the only one closing its doors before the end of the year.
On December 31, the Sant Joan costume jewelry store will join the list of businesses that have ceased operations on Calle Jaume II in Palma, reports Diario de Mallorca .
The current owner, Joan Campins, took over the business 20 years ago and developed it from a supplier into a traditional business with four decades of history. "The local clientele helped us assert ourselves. Now everything has changed a lot, and for the worse," says Campins. "It was completely different before. There was tourism with greater purchasing power, much more powerful."
Other businesspeople on the street share this view. Maribel Moyà of the umbrella boutique Paraguas lamented that traditional shops are increasingly being replaced by franchises. "We are gradually losing our place in the city," she stated, according to "Diario de Mallorca."
Vacationers' budgets have remained the same, but flights and hotels have become more expensive. Tourists are cutting back on food: fewer dishes, no wine, no extras. Last year, 370 restaurants on the island had to close.
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