Santa Cruz de Tenerife has been home to iconic businesses such as Discos Manzana, Maya, and Deportes Lovero, as we remember in DIARIO DE AVISOS. In recent years, globalisation and new shopping methods have prompted numerous changes—not always for the better—leaving us with only memories of these establishments.
Bookshops and ice cream parlours are just a few examples of the legendary businesses in Santa Cruz that now exist only in our memories. Therefore, it is always worthwhile to take a stroll down memory lane.
La Isla Bookshop
In January 2019, La Isla Bookshop, one of the most iconic businesses in the island’s capital, closed its doors. The premises that had been on Calle Robayna for 43 years had already shut down in 2014, where many locals bought their first book. The closure of the shop located on Imeldo Serís marked the end of a beloved establishment that brought together several generations of Tenerife residents.
Founded by José María Celis in 1971, the first name of this appliance store turned bookshop and record shop was Rexachs. Its early days were marked by censorship and the existence of only one publisher. Over nearly 50 years, the business transitioned through three generations (in this last phase run by the founder’s granddaughters), changed its name to La Isla Libros, and expanded to include four stores serving all of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Sonora Discos
Located on the same street as La Isla Bookshop – Imeldo Serís – was Sonora Discos, which also closed in 2019.
The case of Sonora Discos is one of a shop that had been open for decades selling cassettes, CDs, and vinyl records. Over the years, due to changing times, it had to specialise, moving towards genres such as rock and jazz.
This was another establishment that boasted a highly discerning clientele, passionate about music, which lost one of their favourite spots in Santa Cruz.
Marks & Spencer
After 60 years in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Marks & Spencer closed its store on Calle del Pilar in 2023. There were only six stores left in the whole of Spain from the British multinational, which specialised primarily in clothing and food products.
For this reason, it was one of the most significant businesses in the capital, providing items such as biscuits, teas, and sweets, which, according to the Galloway family, who owned the franchise in Tenerife, were the best-sellers in the store.
“We would like to express our gratitude on behalf of the Galloway family and all our staff for the trust placed in us by the community over these 60 years,” they stated in their farewell.
La Flor de Alicante Ice Cream Shop
When the number of ice cream parlours we enjoy today did not exist, La Flor de Alicante was undoubtedly one of the finest, not just in Santa Cruz but throughout Tenerife. Its horchata and leche merengada were immensely popular, filling the freezers of thousands of homes.
On 30 September 2015, Julio Muñoz ended his professional career at the helm of La Flor de Alicante, which closed due to retirement after more than four decades in this historic location on Calle de La Rosa. Thus, yet another of Tenerife’s most cherished businesses drew to a close.
Later, with a different location, La Flor de Alicante reopened to the public, but the response was not the same in a market that had become saturated with similar products.
La Alicantina Ice Cream Shop
Not far away, at the end of Calle de La Rosa, directly opposite what is now the headquarters of CajaCanarias (now La Caixa), was La Alicantina.
Its premises, as seen in the photo above, were small and narrow, requiring customers to descend a flight of stairs to access it.
These last two businesses, La Flor de Alicante and La Alicantina, competed to see who could make the best horchata. The duel also extended to vanilla ice cream: both claimed to have the finest in the city.
There are many other businesses that have had to close their doors in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for various reasons, which we all miss, but undoubtedly, these five are among the most memorable.
