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SHOPPING IN GAUCÍN
There are no "multinational" or chain stores in Gaucín, village stores seem disorganized to the foreign observer, & "marketing" is an unknown skill. But the many food shops, general stores & specialized stores sell a gamut of food, clothing, household products indispensable to country life in the Serranía. It is a privilege to shop in Gaucín for food, as shop keepers are aware of the luxury of fresh locally grown food & stock whatever is in season. Prices in the village are generally much lower than the Coast. Most stores will deliver if you live in town. Those who live in the campo will find parking is limited. Shopping hours are 9:30 - 10 a.m. until 1:30 or 2 p.m. , and from 4 or 5 until 8 or 9 p.m.
The following listings are not complete but gaucin.com continues to update this page.
FOOD MARKETS
Municipal Market has only 5 stalls: Rosa Gordo - the churro maker; Salvador - butcher; Belen - greengrocer; Rosa - fishmonger, & Rosalía - organic & health store products.
Rosa Gordo's churros are better than the famous churro place on Calle de la Bola in Ronda. Open until 11 a.m. Long lines on Sundays. Rosa also sells churros during the fair from midnight until dawn.
 Salvador (687 606 907) has locally grown meat, including pork, beef & chicken from his parents´ finca, & some of the best beef imaginable from a finca in Cortes. Some items are delivered from Ronda.
Belen's stand sells the best fruits & vegetables in town, much better the Corte Inglés on the Coast. Much local produce as well as exotic fruits.
Rosa's fish stand has much room for improvement - very small selection and she makes no effort to do better.
Rosalía, a madrileña, has some organic products procured from local sources. She also has exotic natural products such as tahine, brown rice & green tea, etc.
Fish alternatives
- A truck from Algeciras with very good fish appears at the gas station every Tuesday & Thursday in the afternoon.
- Dieguichi comes every afternoon from Estepona & goes to selected streets. He supplies the Casablanca & Fructuosa restaurants.
Carnicería Cándida
C/Convento, 952 15 1089.
Cándida not only sells meat but makes her own chorizos, morcillas & cures her own jamones. She also sells lamb & kid from local flocks. She can also special order range grown poultry. A dying tradition. Very slow but worth it.
Supermercado Gaucín
2 locations: across from Alameda & Guardia Civil near the crossroad to Algeciras - Ronda (good parking) & on the Farmácia street. Very good selection & very willing to order anything not in stock. Very popular esp. with people living on outlying fincas.
Ultramarinos Hidalgo (el "estanco")
C/José Antonio, 18 (in front of the pastry shop on the way into the Plaza of the fuente.) 952 15 1087. Excellent quality & prices. Home delivery. Famous for the best prices in town.
Alimentación Andrades
C/Calvo Sotelo, 2 (on the callejon below the Town Hall); 952 15 1366, 686 42 8462
Pepe y MariPaz Medina
C/Convento, 952 15 1126.
Very well stocked store with many grocery items sought by foreign tourists. Many fruits & vegetables in season come from their finca and in the back they have eggs from their finca if requested. Very popular. Don't let the chatting put you off.
La Gasolinera
952 15 1324. The Moncada family runs the only gas station in town, & its shop is the only place to buy food on a Sunday. It sells basics, such as bread, milk, butter, eggs, candy etc. It also sells English & Spanish Sunday newspapers.
Bo Frost
Antonio Sanchez Salas, 610 755 037. Antonio comes to the village every two weeks on Thursday in his truck loaded with frozen foods of high quality from a German company. Goods range from truly wonderful ice creams in all permutations including versions for diabetics, to raw & prepared meats, vegetables, & fish, prepared dinners, pizza, Asian specialties, & pastries. Pricey but excelent quality.
Pura Vida Organic Shop
Phone: 952 15 1369 - Address: Calle Convento 166 (near the crossing for the road to Manilva)
Summer hours:
Tues-Fri 9 to 3pm, evenings from 6 to 9 pm.
Monday 10 to 3pm, and Saturday 9 to 3 pm
Offers large diversity of organic foods, drinks, fresh produce, cleaning products, fair trade crafts, wifi internet, as well as a vegetarian cafe
serving lunch and breakfast
GENERAL STORES
Tienda Teresa
Across from the Municipal market. 952 15 1134 or 667 67 23 75.
Always crowded because Teresa Ramírez is indefatigable in getting the best of everything at low prices. Cut flowers & plants in the entrance; can be special ordered. Good selection of clothes for all ages, from underwear to jackets & shoes. At feria time (first week August) spectacular flamenco dresses (rociera, campo, etc.) at excellent prices, also made to order in your choice of fabric & style, takes a week. Wearable ("ponible") and fashionable denim items. Also: jewelry, "perfumería", cleaning equipment, clay flower pots, dry goods incl. Sewing supplies, toys, etc. If it isn't in the store, Teresa can order it for you.
Multiprecios Mary
Luis de Armiñán, 10, in front of Teresa's store. Maria Joaquina Román sells toys, including beach paraphernalia; household items such as pots & pans & cleaning equipment, etc.; stationery shop items, gifts, etc. She recently added a well-priced line of unfinished pine furniture from Córdoba & Sevilla, e.g. nice night table - 230 euros, single headboard - 200 e, glassed cabinet - 300 e. Other items can be ordered from the catalogue. Maria Joaquina is married to Andrés of Los Charcones (carpenters.)
Tienda Julia
Plaza de la Fuente, C/Toledillo, 4, 952 15 1003.
This store is like a trip in a time capsule, back to the 40's. Julia sells everything for the home, including sets of dishes from the famous La Cartuja factory in Sevilla, textile materials for clothing & upholstering from oil cloth & canvas to brocade, sets of towels & sheets, quilts & eiderdowns, bedspreads, oil cloth, paint, perfumería & droguería items, gifts,
baby wear, etc. Most popular general store in Gaucín.
Confecciones Mary (Mariquita)
Luis de Armiñán, 61. Tel: 952 15 10 84, 670 84 3239. Mainly a clothing store with good brands for men, women, children and babies. Also jewelry, sheets & towels and some perfumería. Mariquita and her daughter Nuria are very helpful and will get any clothing item you need from the traveling salesmen who pass by weekly. Mariquita will also sell eggs from her chickens penned behind the house.
Calzados y Complementos Pilar
C/de los Bancos (across from the Stationery store). 607 63 33 79. Pilar Bautista sells good quality shoes at bargain prices, e.g. sturdy leather campo boots for 20 euros or canvas - rubber soled slippers (chinos) for 8 euros. Small selection of wearable, well-priced clothing for children & adults, underwear, toys, "perfumería", jewelry, gifts.
SPECIALIZED STORES
Ferrgenal Hardware Store
C/Convento, 103; T - 952 15 1358, F: 952 15 1168.
Juan Marquez del Río & his sons have probably the biggest business in town. Sooner or later you'll meet everyone in the region at this busy store as neighboring pueblos have no hardware stores. Ferrgenal has a complete line of everything in building materials, hardware items, custom-mixed paint, and a big showroom of flooring, wall tiles & bathroom appliances at their hotel (still under-construction) on the road to Ronda. Anything they don't have can be ordered. They also have a branch in Algatocín.
Nanta
At junction Ronda-Algeciras-Ronda road, 952 15 1434 & 952 15 1106. Maribel y Juan Jarillo have another of the most popular stores in the village. They sell everything needed for campo life: animal feed, seeds, bulbs and plants, regional olive oil and pulses and other vegetables in season, pet supplies, equestrian equipment & clothing, & everything for the garden. The vet has hours in the back of their store every Wednesday morning. Juan is a pillar of the horsy set. Good parking.
Stationery Shop
CStreet of the banks (C/San Juan de Diós) 952 15 1580. Besides a full range of office and school supplies, MĒ José Lermos Ruíz and José Gavilan Mendoza sell magazines, gifts and provide fax, photocopy & plastification services. They also can order publicity materials from Ronda with text & photos such as cigarette lighters, calendars, cards, posters, etc. At Christmas they have a full range of toys. José Gavilán is the President of the Parents Association at the school.
 Gaucín Artesanía
C/Toledillo, 31, 952 15 1484.
Though this shop caters mainly to tourists, Paco, a "forastero" from Málaga, has an impressive selection of quality traditional handmade ceramics from Andalucía, fired in wood kilns, as well as paintings & water colors by local Art in Gaucin, some antiques, locally made perfumes & essences, based in olive oil; beautiful handblown glassware & selected items of exceptional handmade clothing. Really worth a visit.
Electro Muebles Mendoza
Behind Unicaja, 952 15 1135.
María Mendoza sells large and small domestic appliances, from stoves, refrigerators and washing machines to juicers and hair dryers. Products not in stock can be ordered from catalogues. She offers photo developing (sent to Ronda) and picture framing, done in the village. She also stocks a range of lamps and beaded curtains frames.
Electrónica Vera
952 15 1396. Manuel Vera sells, installs and repairs TVs, antennas & satellite systems, videos & DVDs, mobile telephones including Vodafone, Amena and Movistar, sound systems and some domestic appliances. Very good service. Very handy to have an electronics professional in the pueblo.
Laundry/Dry Cleaner
Cerrado de la Joven, 7; 952 15 1496. Located at the very top of the village: go to Nanta and turn left down the road which is least steep. Antonio Machado and his sister Paqui opened this excellent service this summer (2003.) They cater to hotels and restaurants as well as private persons. They pick up and deliver. Open every day from 9.30 -2 p.m., 5 - 8 p.m. Closed Saturday afternoon and Sundays.
Sports Shop
Plaza in front of the Municipal Market, 696 466 791.
Fernando Garcia (brother of Juani in the Town Hall) has a well-stocked sports store and can order anything. Top brand sports shoes as well as equipment. However, store is often closed as Fernando also runs the Municipal gym and is the coach for local football teams. Call and make an appointment.
Hairdresser - Ani
C/Toledillo, 44(next to the Casino); 952 15 1578. Ani provides a full range of hair styling services for men and women, including color and cutting. Almudena offers esthetician services: manicures, pedicures, hot or cold waxing, depilation, facials, paraffin, body treatments for cellulite, stretch marks, etc., at very competitive prices.
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