Wine merchants Antoni and Meritxell Falgueras open Barcelona's Mercè festival with defense of local retail

Proclamation in the Saló de Cent

Antoni Falgueras and his daughter Meritxell Falgueras opened Barcelona's annual La Mercè festival on Wednesday evening with the official proclamation in the Saló de Cent at City Hall. Antoni, the fourth-generation owner of the Celler de Gelida wine shop founded in 1895 on Carrer de Vallespir in the Sants district, initially declined the speaking offer from Mayor Jaume Collboni and Culture Councillor Xavier Marcé, but agreed once Meritxell was named co-speaker. Mayor Collboni opened the ceremony by presenting the festival poster designed by artist Cinta Vidal and welcoming Lu Shan, the vice mayor of Shanghai, which is the first Asian guest city in the event's history and marks 25 years of municipal partnership. The ceremony coincided with Barcelona's term as the European Capital of Proximity Commerce, placing local neighborhood retail at the center of municipal celebrations.

Defense of local commerce

Speaking in a joint dialogue, the two wine merchants called on residents and authorities to protect neighborhood businesses from soaring commercial rents, multinational retail chains, and digital delivery platforms. They stressed that independent shops provide neighborhood safety through illuminated streetfronts, foster community relationships, and offer personal conversation that neither algorithms nor internet retailers can replace. Meritxell stated that where citizens spend money constitutes a direct form of local politics and civic identity.

“We cannot allow Barcelona to have the same shops as the rest of the world, where the only differences are the language and the currency.”

The speakers urged residents to actively buy goods at local haberdashers, grocery stores, and food markets rather than merely lamenting their disappearances after they are forced to shut down.

Family history and working women

The address detailed the 131-year background of Celler de Gelida, an establishment that historically closed only on the feast day of Saint Martha, the patron saint of hospitality workers. During the Franco regime, authorities forced the shop to replace its Catalan designation "celler" with the Spanish "bodega", and Antoni's grandfather once ingested grape syrup before military medical tests to induce temporary high blood sugar and evade conscription. Antoni described his daily routine remaining centered within a 150-meter radius connecting his home, school, workplace, and his wife Maria Febrer, even while he traveled to inspect more than 2,000 wineries and liquor establishments over his career. Meritxell dedicated the speech to the working women who ran neighborhood businesses while raising families without public recognition, specifically honoring her mother Maria, her grandmother Rosita, and her great-grandmother Dolors.

Agricultural ties and economic weight

Antoni also addressed the upstream supply chain, defending agricultural workers and grape growers who face low purchase prices compared to producers in France. He noted that working vineyards in Catalonia serve as natural fire barriers against summer forest blazes in rural areas. Local commerce accounts for more than 60,000 establishments, provides over 152,000 jobs, and generates roughly 13.2% of Barcelona's gross domestic product. Following the opening proclamation in the Saló de Cent, Barcelona began its scheduled program of concerts, street theater, and traditional cultural displays across all ten municipal districts.