There’s nothing like buying something on its home turf. An Anderson & Sheppard suit bought on the Row itself. An Hermès scarf from the glorious store on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. An Alfa Romeo picked up at the factory gates in Milan.
Or at least I imagine that this is the case. I’ve never done any of these things, but they certainly sound nice. I have, however, been to the Carner flagship store in Barcelona and walked out with some of its products, acquired, as is always best, from the beating heart of the business.
The store is a whitewashed subterranean space in Eixample, just off the Passeig de Gràcia, which manages, despite being in a basement, to have a breezily Mediterranean quality to it. It’s run by siblings Sara and Joaquim, who are descended from a long line of leather artisans, and are the best kind of ambassadors for the company; the kind of people who made something they wanted for themselves and have now put it out there in the world. They do candles, body washes, shampoos and the like, but their stock in trade is their perfumes, all of which are made in the city and have its spirit: vibrant, playful and beautifully packaged. Try Bo-Bo (which you’ll find sprayed in the Joan Miró suite at the nearby El Palace), named after an ancient Catalan folk dance, or El Born with its notes of lemon and bergamot, an homage to the city’s loveliest neighbourhood.
Carner, C/ de la Diputació, 266, local 2, L’Eixample; carnerbarcelona.com
David Annand is editorial director of Secret Trips
