Ca Donya Àngela

Emblematic

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Ca Donya Àngela

 

Ca Donya Àngela is a traditional haberdashery, one of the few remaining in Palma and certainly the oldest in the city, dating back to 1685. It has always been located on Carrer Jaume II, formerly Carrer del Segell or Carrer dels Bastaixos.

Records unearthed by Miquel Aguiló and Esther Gordiola, the eleventh generation of the family that today runs the establishment, confirm that the premises, before being a haberdashery, housed dwellings, a shop and the Stamp Duty Office, a tax on fabrics established in 1376 by Peter IV of Aragon and ratified by Ferdinand the Catholic on 26th August 1499.

In 1671, Baltasar Contestí sold the shop to Rafel Martí ‘Barbassa’. In 1679 the Inquisition confiscated it, and in 1685 Pere Fortessa ‘Botiguer’, the first of the family dynasty, bought it from him for 1,160 pounds, the currency of Mallorca. Since that time, the shop has been run by the same family, always as a haberdashery, in the same location, offering a personalised and professional service thanks to the experience accumulated over more than 335 years. The establishment was given its present name in memory of Àngela Bonnín, who took over in 1931, after the death of her father-in-law.

The premises underwent a refurbishment in 1961, which included a change of decoration and furnishings. Even so, it retains the charm of the old shops that stocked the town and the dressmakers’ shops when clothes were still being made. The furniture is understated, with a wooden and glass counter and wooden shelves with drawers for storing small buttons, needles, thread, thimbles and other small items. The façade has a wooden and glass shop window, typical of the 60s and 70s.