LOCAL LIFE
Two Ways to Revive Main Street
Courtesy of the Spanish town that I call home
Friday evening, 7 o’clock. I head out of my door onto Calle Mayor, the old main street, and it’s bustling. Small independent traders selling bread, honey, freshly made sandwiches. Bags, belts and berets. Neighbourhood commerce is thriving.
I know that if I venture out this time tomorrow it will be the same story. Sunday as well. In a world of out-of-town megastores and ecommerce, rising rents and dwindling footfall, it sounds to good to be true.
Wait until Monday comes around, and you’ll soon see that it is.
Spain’s small towns are big on community spirit and services, which means that local stores are holding out better than their counterparts in the UK or USA, but however gradual the erosion of traditional shopping might be, it is equally relentless.
Why was Calle Mayor such a hive of activity last Friday? Because the summer craft fair was in town.
It’s a lovely little annual event, with a medieval theme enthusiastically embodied by the artisans who set up their stalls. And rather than being located just outside the town, as the weekly fruit and veg market is, the local authority decided they should line what used to be the central streets of…
