Pollensa boutique shop - La Antigua Panaderia - Opens near the square
A Magical Emporium in Pollensa
There is a new boutique in town, not a hotel, but a high end deli and it’s called La Antigua Panadería
An idiosyncratic store in every respect, this is as quirky upmarket boutique as Pollensa has ever seen. For those in search of something truly special to gift this Christmas, this will surely fit the bill.
It used to the the old bakery in the Pine tree square - known to locals as Can Nas, and to everyone else as one of the original wood fired bakeries in Pollensa and the one nearest the main square.
If you don't know Pollensa, in northern Mallorca, suffice to say, the old bakery was one of the few last bastions of an otherwise forgotten era - a time before Pollensa became the hip and cosmopolitan hub it is today, back when it was just another medieval village in the north of a rather small and mountanous mediterranean island.
A local government inspection in 2019 decreed that the old Can Nas bakery had to close. Their ancient wood burning stove was not up to health standards, etc. And just like that, it was gone.
The current proprietor of the outstanding Bellaverde Vegetarian Restaurant in Puerto Pollensa, long time resident Svenja Gallé, decided the old bakery just couldn't be allowed to dissappear completly, so after much painting and restoring and a leap of faith, on a cold winter's morning at the beginning of December 2021, she opened it up again.
The sign above the door still reads Panaderia, though she plans to hang its new name; La Antigua Panaderia, soon.
Fine wines, handcrafted knives and mallorcan truffles
In the window display passersby can already get a taste of what's inside: exquisite teas, chocolate coated figs and delicate porcelain. As a special treat you can also get Mallorca truffles here, as well as truffle honey and truffle cheese. But what's most exciting is the selection of fine wines.
The shop is a small space dominated by a polished brass and marble counter, and packed with beautiful and delicious things. A glass cabinet holds a terrifying display of handcrafted knives from Uzbekistan. The shelves and walls showcase an array of exclusive wines from all over the world. There are truffles in another glass box, hidden amongst their protective straw.
You can find rare Mallorcan wines here that you will struggle to find elsewhere, and some otherwise outsold blends from the award-winning winery Can Arxatell, who have a longstanding relationship with the owner.
The cabinets are brimming with French-Russian teas, Columbian coffee and Panettone, Italy’s favourite Christmas cake, available now for the holiday season. Not all is edible either. Delicate pottery lights and elegant kitchenware, some fabrics, cutlery. As if the world’s most exquisite wares had been carefully sourced, handpicked, wrapped in muslin and brought here to Pollensa, especially for you.
A nod to the old Ensenyat delicatessen, closed now, the purveyors of fines wines as well as any and every jam, sauce, pickle or paste you could desire. It certainly left a void. You just couldn't get hold of interesting wines in town anymore, until now. La Antigua Panaderia hopes to put an end to all that, and more.
There will be fresh bread too, a wink to its origins, brought over from a bakery in the Tramuntana, fresh every morning.
From old bakery to cultural symposium
Behind the shop the bread ovens dominate the entire back wall. This is where generations of bakers would knead the dough and stock the fires in the early hours, filling the air with the smell of fire wood and freshly baked traditional mallorcan bread.
The back room has been carefully preserved, scrubbed and repainted, and emptied of everything but the baker's table and the vast ovens. A long table dominates the centre with low lighting. On the walls local artists have hung their work. The space will be used for wine tasting events. Hopefully truffle tasting too. Possibly a place to celebrate a special event or a dinner party.
La Antigua Panaderia is a celebration of the old ways, of the handcrafted, the handmade and the slow baked and an exciting new edition to Pollensa’s treasure trove of high end boutique shops. If you are looking for a unique Christmas present or a slow and gentle shopping experience, stop by La Antigua Panaderia.