5 minute read
Students find retail therapy
Valencia’s main shopping area proves to be a comfort zone for some FSU students
By Erin Groves
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If you are looking for a relaxed shopping day, Carrer de Colón is not the place for you. Located in the heart of Valencia, the Colón shopping street is the busiest beehive of all shopping districts in the city. If you do not know where you are going while on Colón Street, you must move aside because the locals and shopping veterans will rush past you.
“Many of my friends live above the stores on Carrer de Colón and have to navigate through the crowds of people to get to their daily jobs,” says Sofia Nordlund, an FSU program assistant (PA) who grew up at alternating times in Valencia and California. Added to the daily hustle and bustle of the Valencian locals getting to their respective jobs are the large numbers of tourists and shoppers looking to visit the shops and restaurants on Colón Street.
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain and has the shopping district to prove it. With a population of 822,000 people (according to worldpopulation.com), Valencia holds about the same number of people as Charlotte, North Carolina or San Francisco, California. As you can imagine, the shopping district gets quite crazy in Valencia.
Nordlund says.
With the Metro, two train stations, major roadways, department stores, markets, and countless shops nearby, Colón Street is bursting with activity. And with city Bus 5 being a straight shot from the FSU Garnet building to Colón Street, students have no trouble spending their souvenir money.
Shops galore
The variety of shops found on Colón Street include some of the world’s largest franchises, such as H&M, Zara, Sephora, Adidas, and Apple, but there are local shops, too. Many students even believe they have found “hidden gems” on Colón Street.
“The fashion in Valencia and all of Europe is so different from the Nike shorts and XL T-shirts I usually wear at home,” says Elise Anderson, an FSU nursing major. “I needed to buy new clothes because what I packed for my trip did not cut it.”
Women’s clothing stores such as Brandy Melville, Mango, Pull & Bear, and Subdued are rarely found in the States but are conveniently located on Colón Street. Some students choose to fit in with the Valencian culture and dress like the locals, while others choose to keep their style and wear only American clothes.
Colon Street is a popular men’s shopping destination, too.
“When I went clothes shopping here, I really noticed the difference in the fit of the men’s clothing. Everything is much tighter and longer,” said FSU economics major Hunter Perez in summer 2018 while looking to purchase clothing that fit in with the locals.
Carrer de Colón street sign
Before traveling to Valencia, many students tried to stock up on what they could in hopes of not having to buy anything while abroad.
“I was worried I would run out of my makeup while I was in Valencia. But it turns out there are more makeup stores here than there are in my hometown,” says Rosie Partain, an FSU psychology major from Niceville, Florida. Cosmetic stores including MAC, Lush, Sephora, Primer, and The Body Shop are all located on Colón Street.
Conveniently, there is even an Apple store just a 15-minute walk away from the FSU Valencia campus. With the closest Apple store to the FSU main campus being in Jacksonville, it is more convenient for students to visit the Apple store all the way in Valencia, Spain.
Apple Store in Carrer de Colón
A different dress code
In the U.S., you can go shopping while dressed any type of way, but in Valencia, the locals and workers expect you to be looking your best while in their store.
“The stores here expect shoppers to be looking nice and taking shopping seriously, said marketing major Brian Rohner of Maryland in summer 2018. “If you don’t look the part while in a high-end store, the employees won’t even try and help you.”
While the unofficial dress code is more formal on Colón Street than on a typical U.S. shopping street, there are places that sell bargain clothing on Colón Street.
says FSU accounting major Eric Gavagni.
If there is any lull in activity on Colón Street, it tends to occur between 2-5 p.m., which is when many of the family-owned businesses in the Colón area follow a unique Spanish tradition of siesta, when they go home to eat lunch with the family and to rest.
According to the Spanish Bed Manufacturers Association, 16.2 percent of Spaniards take a break from their workday to take a daily nap, which began as a way for workers to avoid the peak heat of the midday. However, the large franchises on Colón Street, such as department store El Corte Ingles, remain open from around 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
El Corte Ingles in Carrer de Colón
Founded in Madrid, El Corte Ingles is the only remaining department store chain in Spain, with 94 locations. Ranking fourth worldwide, it is the number one department store in Europe. According to its website, El Corte Ingles has more than 670 million people visit its stores per year. El Corte Ingles includes a range of departments: items for men, women, children, babies, accessories, home goods, sports, and even groceries. Open seven days a week, the largest El Corte Ingles on Colón Street consists of seven stories of merchandise, a supermarket, and even a restaurant. On Colón Street, there are three El Corte Ingles stores, one on each corner.
Before arriving in Valencia, many students worried they would not have access to their favorite stores but were pleasantly surprised when they visited Colón Street.
says editing, writing, media major Allison Notari.
Marketing major Max Bell of Maryland also likes El Corte Ingles.
“As a guy, I like to get my shopping done as quickly as possible,” he says. “So my go-to store is El Corte Ingles.”
Truly the definition of shopping smarter and not harder.
