“The store opened in 1875, when my grandparents founded it in Plaza de San Pablo, which was Zaragoza’s commercial district at the time,” says Isabel, the business’s current owner. “It was actually a haberdashery. They sold things for dressmakers as well as gift items,” she recalls, describing beginnings that were very different from what they sell today. “In 1908, they moved to 25 Alfonso Street, here.”
CHANGES OVER THE YEARS ON ALFONSO I STREET
It is clear that the landscape of one of Zaragoza’s busiest streets has changed considerably over the years, and Isabel, who is now over 80, confirms it. “You have to keep changing constantly. At that time, mantillas and many more gift items also began to be sold. You evolve because tourism began in 1969 with the arrival of the American base. Huge numbers of Americans came, and we started offering many more products aimed at tourists.”
The store has sold everything from Andalusian outfits to the classic bull figurines typical of Spain. “We changed the storefront to make it more focused on souvenirs, larger and longer,” she says, explaining how tourism practically transformed the business. One of the most important items for them is nativity figures. “Parents come, then their children, and every year they take home a figure to make their nativity scene bigger.”
Customers at the Bellostas store buying items from its costume jewelry section. Photo: Lucía Martín
Among the establishment’s most iconic items, its best-selling products are images of the Virgin of the Pillar. Perhaps the most curious feature, however, is its collection of fans from the 1920s, arranged in one of its display windows and even award-winning.
“IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME”
Bellostas is also a store well known for its traditional mantillas and shawls. “We really like it when people come in so we can advise the girls. This year, many young women dressed as manolas,” she explains, referring to this year’s Holy Week, when many women decided to wear the black mantillas they sell with such care.
They also experienced some unusual situations during the pandemic. “During Covid, we ended up selling huge numbers of Parcheesi sets and chess games. The salesperson would say to me: ‘But how much chess do you play in Zaragoza?’” Isabel says with a laugh.
Some of the products at this iconic store in central Zaragoza. Photo: Lucía Martín
“Ever since I was little, when I left school, I would come here.” Isabel fondly recalls her childhood in the store, which has practically been her second home. “At home, they would ask me: ‘What will you be when you grow up?’ And I would answer: ‘A shopkeeper,’” she says with a laugh. “It means everything to me.”
