Colmado Colom

Located in Carrer de Sant Domingo, Colmado Colom opened its doors in 1881 at the hands of the great-grandparents of Natalia Vaquer, the current owner, who decided to take over the premises again in 2020 to continue with the family business and carry out a major refurbishment to give it a more gourmet feel, just as her grandfather would have wanted.

Colmado Colom’s golden age came in the 60s, 70s and 80s, thanks to orders from hotels and top restaurants that gave the business a big boost. At that time, the shop was run by the sisters Magdalena and Carme Colom who, when their parents retired, took over the establishment and offered basic necessities such as wine, bread, fruit and salt. Pedro Vaquer, Natalia’s grandfather, after a trip to Paris where he discovered the style of gourmet shops, advised his sisters-in-law to change the traditional shop into what would later become an establishment with quality, exclusive and imported products, especially champagne and liqueurs. Oysters, caviar and foie gras were also available, as well as Christmas hampers. This product innovation distinguished Colmado Colom at that time.

Since the Colom sisters had no children, when they retired they rented the shop to Sion Riera, who ran it for 5 years. Later, in 1997, Magdalena and Carme handed over the business to a former employee, Josefa García, who, together with her daughter, Elena Amer, introduced ready-made meals into the shop’s services, which proved a great success with the regular clientele, until Natalia Vaquer took over.

It is an example of the few grocery shops left in Ciutat.