Meet the Proud Owner of a Spanish Estanco
Estanco is the Spanish word for tobacco shop. In Spain, estancos are as integral to the Spanish way of life as olive oil.
The ownership of an estanco is strictly controlled by the government. Not everyone can open an estanco. In order to gain a license to open an estanco, an application must be made to the local ayuntamiento or town hall and a license fee must be paid. This fee must be paid every twenty-five years.
That’s the modern way to open an estanco. Traditionally the license passed from father to son. That’s how Patricio Manso came to be the owner of his estanco, which was opened by his grandfather, Pablo Manso, back in 1942.
A charismatic character, he applied to the local town hall to ask for a license after his brother was killed in Spain’s civil war. Because of his special circumstances, the town hall made an exception to the entrenched father-son tradition and granted Pablo the right to open an estanco.
Three generations on, the estanco is now run by Patricio. The original location for the estanco was a tiny premises but over the decades, the family extended the shop so it takes up two floors of a large corner building. Patricio lives above the shop.
Shells for sale to Tourists
The shop is dark and musty inside and the shopping fittings appear to be antique but there
is nothing antique about Patricio’s approach to business.
The shop sells a mind-boggling array. Besides the expected cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, filters and lighters, it’s also possible to buy key-rings, thimbles, fans, souvenirs, jewellery, postcards, make-up and phonecards.
Patricio has been working in the shop for twenty-two years. His day begins at eight in the morning when he arrives in the shop to deal with invoices and deliveries. The shop opens at 9.30 am. In the winter they close for siesta between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm and stay open till 8.30. In the summer they are open all day.
Fans for the Tourists to Wave.
Patricio explains that because his estanco is located in the south of Spain, in a tourist town he has two different sets of customers. Four months of the year he caters to the needs of locals selling items that are needed during special local events such as Christmas and Easter.
Eight months of the year, his business comes from the tourists passing through the town, which is why the shop sells such an eclectic variety of gadgets, trinkets and souvenirs.
When I ask Patricio what is the best thing about working in the shop, he smiles and says quickly, ‘the best thing about working in the shop is the people. I know everyone in town and everyone knows me. My grandfather was a great man and I feel proud to live up to his memory and keep the tradition of the estanco going strong in my town.’
