{"id":331440,"date":"2025-11-25T04:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=331440"},"modified":"2025-11-25T14:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:27:28","slug":"memories-of-el-encanto-the-department-store-havana-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/cuba\/memories-of-el-encanto-the-department-store-havana-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Memories of El Encanto, the department store Havana lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

El Encanto! Never\u00a0did\u00a0any\u00a0establishment have\u00a0a better or more fitting name. At least\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what\u00a0<\/span>El Libro de Cuba<\/span><\/i>\u202fand the testimonies of former employees and customers who frequented that place claim. Its architectural design, magnificent as a palace, distinguished it among the city\u2019s emblems; its majesty instilled in those who beheld it the same awe as an ant frozen before a sugar castle.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Proclaimed in advertisements as\u00a0\u201cmore than a store, a national institution,\u201d\u00a0El Encanto\u00a0(meaning\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0Enchantment<\/span><\/i>\u00a0in English)\u00a0was the jewel in the crown of Galiano Street, an avenue where more than one entrepreneurial dream flourished.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the splendors of yesteryear vanished suddenly, leaving only an echo of melancholy, photographs and memories that contrast sharply with the harsh reality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That building, which before being engulfed in flames stood impressively, as a\u00a0symbol of modernity, and which for decades served as the world\u2019s fashion\u00a0stock\u00a0exchange, was replaced by a park where people wander or\u00a0sit,\u00a0their eyes fixed on their belongings.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a metaphor for the transformations that have marked the island: where once there\u00a0were\u00a0charm and hope, today there are tales of suffering and disillusionment, repressed by the mists of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Casa de las Cinco Palmas<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It was 1888 when Jos\u00e9 Sol\u00eds Garc\u00eda, from Asturias, fueled by nostalgia and the desire to build his fortune, opened a small\u00a0store\u00a0called El Encanto at number 85 Galiano Street, on the corner of San Rafael. The\u00a0small\u00a0shop sold fabrics,\u00a0shoes\u00a0and household goods. By the time the Spaniard planted his flag in Havana\u2019s commercial epicenter, the Galiano arcades had railings, horse-drawn streetcars climbed San Rafael towards Cerro and Jes\u00fas del Monte, the clamor and stench imposed their grotesque authority, and the sidewalk bore the sign favored by the\u00a0\u201cineffable women\u201d\u00a0who lingered there with their razor-sharp smiles.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Preceded by his distinctive pointed mustache, Jos\u00e9 Sol\u00eds arrived in Havana in 1885 and\u00a0established\u00a0his first\u00a0clothing store\u00a0in the town of\u00a0Guanabacoa. He soon brought his younger brother, Bernardo, into the venture, and another\u00a0countryman\u00a0completed the equation. Aquilino\u00a0Entrialgo, whom the Sol\u00eds brothers hired as\u00a0a clerk, showed a knack for\u00a0business\u00a0and experienced a meteoric rise until he had the opportunity to\u00a0participate\u00a0fully in the business. It has been said repeatedly that the three of them created the firm\u00a0\u201cSol\u00eds,\u00a0Entrialgo\u00a0y\u00a0Cia.\u201d\u00a0in 1900.\u00a0In the February 3,\u00a01916\u00a0edition of the\u00a0<\/span>Diario de la Marina<\/span><\/i>, it is clearly\u00a0stated\u00a0that the company was\u00a0established\u00a0\u2014\u00a0retroactively\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in September 1915, after the dissolution of the commercial company\u00a0\u201cSol\u00eds,\u00a0Hno. y\u00a0C\u00eda.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A curious photograph shows the managers and employees together at the old establishment. Photo: Bohemia magazine, April 10, 1938.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Under the motto\u00a0\u201cEl Encanto has to be\u00a0enchanting,\u201d\u00a0the mustachioed Don Pepe and his team implemented a business policy based on internal promotions for results, motivating salaries and a constant pursuit of quality customer service. A great business must be\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the founding partners emphasized\u00a0\u2014\u00a0an agent for the consumer in relation to production and market centers; a service that the public pays\u00a0for\u00a0and that, therefore, must be imbued with the public\u2019s expectations and trust. This ideal allowed El Encanto to etch its brand into the collective consciousness of families and see its sales volume multiply.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As its influence spread like wildfire, El Encanto continued to build its prestige and\u00a0acquire\u00a0more land, which in practical terms translated into unstoppable expansion through the acquisition of neighboring plots and residences until it dominated\u00a0almost an\u00a0entire city block.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The original silk\u00a0store, occupying 300 square meters on\u00a0\u201cthe corner of sin,\u201d\u00a0would transform into a cosmopolitan corporation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Panoramic
Panoramic view of San Rafael Street, where the El Encanto silk store of Sol\u00eds and Company can be seen on the left. Photo: Documentary Heritage. Office of the City of Havana Historian.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In short, this is the legend, with its share of both accuracy and inaccuracies, that has been circulating about the origins of El Encanto. However, a delving\u00a0into primary sources brings to light other interesting and omitted facts, such as that the\u00a0store\u00a0was curiously founded in April (the same month in which it would meet its tragic end), that due to the leisurely pace of life in the 19th century, there wasn\u2019t much demand, which limited its progress in its early stages, and that, lacking large over-the-counter sales, they were pioneers in home delivery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much less known is that it was then called the\u00a0Casa de las Cinco Palmas. The\u00a0<\/span>Diario de la Marina<\/span><\/i>\u00a0of March 1, 1890, invited\u00a0\u201cthose interested in good footwear without spending a lot of money\u201d\u00a0to buy shoes\u00a0and boots\u00a0imported from Menorca at a new\u00a0shoe store\u00a0\u201cwhich bears the name El Encanto, perhaps because its owner has the magic touch to enchant his customers.\u201d\u00a0Regarding\u00a0the nickname, the newspaper explained:\u00a0\u201cThere are five beautiful palm trees on the property, their green crowns reaching a great height. The continuous rustling of these palms is a delight to those who frequent the\u00a0store.\u00a0Perhaps, readers, El Encanto owes its name\u00a0to this.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In its October 8, 1893 edition, the newspaper itself reported on the commercial\u00a0bait\u00a0of offering\u00a0\u201cgood and cheap\u201d\u00a0items, and returned to the symbolic palm fronds:\u00a0\u201cAfter careful consideration, the owner of the El Encanto\u00a0shoe\u00a0store\u00a0\u2014\u00a0located on San Rafael near Galiano\u00a0\u2014\u00a0has decided to extend until the end of this October the sale of shoes and boots of different styles and types for ladies, gentlemen and children, which are sold there at extremely low prices, with the laudable purpose of providing a benefit to the inhabitants of Havana, who are suffering under the weight of the economic crisis that is squeezing everyone\u2019s pockets. El Encanto, the establishment that\u00a0beats it all\u00a0when it comes to palm\u00a0trees, as it has five in its historic courtyard, has also established fashion days: Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, on which it will offer its patrons real and effective, legitimate and authentic\u00a0\u2018bargains\u2019.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0store\u00a0of\u00a0enchantments<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

By 1930, not a single brick remained\u00a0of\u00a0the original building. El Encanto was a grand department store in the style of Le Bon March\u00e9 in Paris, considered not only the most prestigious store in Cuba but also the first establishment to implement the department store model. It was the starting point, the nucleus from which provincial branches began to branch out over time. Camag\u00fcey, Santiago de Cuba, Varadero, Cienfuegos,\u00a0Holgu\u00edn\u00a0and Santa Clara, among other cities\u00a0\u2014\u00a0more than a dozen in total\u00a0\u2014\u00a0had their own Encantos.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1948, a renovation of the flagship store began, culminating the following year with the inauguration of what would be its final\u00a0venue. The atmosphere of the brand-new building was luxurious: air-conditioned with a fragrance, sophisticated elevators, escalators, uniformed sales staff who spoke English and adhered to strict codes of conduct in their service, and\u00a0doormen\u00a0at the entrance who opened the doors for eager shoppers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The exteriors were no less impressive: they laid the sidewalks in white granite with wavy stripes of green granite, and on special occasions they adorned the facades with extraordinary fanfare at Christmas. Another undeniable success of\u00a0the El\u00a0Encanto\u00a0department store\u00a0was having its own industrial division\u00a0to supply\u00a0itself with clothing, which included a workshop next to the building and a factory in the\u00a0Ayestar\u00e1n\u00a0neighborhood.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But if anything seemed sensational to locals and tourists alike, it was the splendid\u00a0window\u00a0displays, where mannequins\u00a0showcased\u00a0form-fitting dresses and all kinds of practical and dazzling garments under spotlights. They seemed to come to life spectacularly, like in the\u00a0<\/span>Nutcracker<\/span><\/i>\u00a0ballet. In fact, there was a department dedicated solely to\u00a0maintaining\u00a0them and changing the decorations every Friday.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Browsing
Browsing the store windows, like the interior sections, was both an aesthetic delight and a subtle temptation for the wallet. Photo: Diario de la Marina, April 7, 1938.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some families turned their Sunday outings into a parade past those enchanting shop windows, where even the poor would stand lost in thought, pressing their noses against the glass, until the stern guard touched their shoulder and signaled them to move on. Because our world has always been\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and always will be\u00a0\u2014\u00a0divided between the opulent and the\u00a0\u201cvulnerable\u201d;\u00a0just as, in the end, a pane of glass separates us from life and death.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The shopping center had five floors and 65\u00a0departments, each with its own distinct character. The ground floor housed the men\u2019s department, men\u2019s\u00a0shoe store, jewelry, perfumery, cosmetics,\u00a0books\u00a0and the photography studio. The second floor housed the gifts and decorations section, considered one of the most beautiful for its exquisitely crafted glassware, Baccarat bottles, silver cutlery, hand-carved tableware, and Murano\u00a0exquisite\u00a0glass. It also included departments for tailoring, hats, record players, the English\u00a0Salon\u00a0and fabrics. The third floor focused on women\u2019s fashion, featuring the Teen Age section and the renowned French Salon. The fourth floor was also among the most popular, housing toys, children\u2019s\u00a0footwear\u00a0and Club 21 (for young men). The fifth floor\u00a0contained\u00a0offices, a mattress department,\u00a0appliances\u00a0and furniture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The decorations and gifts department on the second floor was considered one of the most attractive due to its diverse selection of luxurious items. Photo: Author\u2019s archive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With representatives and\u00a0purchasing\u00a0offices in New York, London, Paris, Barcelona,\u00a0<\/span>\u200b\u200b<\/span>Madrid, Vienna and Naples, the store windows were overflowing with a diverse assortment of goods from all corners of the world, catering to the most refined tastes. Italian papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9\u00a0dolls with moving\u00a0eyes and real hair, electric trains, Cadillac toy cars with pedals and a horn,\u00a0Naturalizer\u00a0shoes, Kayser stockings, Portrait\u00a0of\u00a0Dorothy Gray\u00a0cosmetics, Chanel perfumes, Japanese parasols.\u2026\u00a0In short, one could\u00a0purchase\u00a0an unimaginable array of imported items without needing a passport. Moreover, the store was among the first to accept credit cards and offer rewards to loyal customers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There, other Asturians like C\u00e9sar Rodr\u00edguez, who later opened his own chain of Ultra department stores, and his relatives Pep\u00edn Fern\u00e1ndez and Ram\u00f3n\u00a0Areces, received their training and held various positions. The experience and techniques they\u00a0acquired\u00a0there allowed them to\u00a0found\u00a0Galer\u00edas\u00a0Preciados\u00a0and El Corte Ingl\u00e9s upon their return to Spain, department stores that revolutionized commerce in\u00a0that\u00a0country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"An\u00a0example
An example of the marketing strategy employed by the company is the character Don Julio, a kind of summer Santa Claus who brought \u201cunbeatable\u201d price reductions and made a \u201cgrand display\u201d of merchandise. Photo: Bohemia magazine, July 5, 1936.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is how fashion was sold<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Anyone wishing to wear\u00a0clothing\u00a0by\u00a0Dior and\u00a0its\u00a0fragrances in the 1950s could only satisfy their expensive desires in Paris or at El Encanto in Havana. Thanks to its renown, the Cuban establishment obtained a license to sell the brand of the famous Christian Dior.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The company acquired the corresponding rights to sell clothing and fragrances from the exclusive Dior brand. Photo: Taken from a Facebook post by Marvin Jui-Perez.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is known that the fashion designer was\u00a0somewhat superstitious\u00a0and wary of airplanes; even so, he\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0hesitate to buy a ticket to Havana and in 1956 landed with the hope of seeing in person the store that held\u00a0the exclusive\u00a0rights to his creations. The designer was accompanied by some of his models and held a fashion show at the Country Club. The event, organized by El Encanto and the French Embassy in Cuba, was attended by 1,500 guests.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The famous designer Christian Dior during his visit to El Encanto. Photo: El Pa\u00eds, October 1956.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u00a0was no\u00a0political or business figure, or a fashion and entertainment world\u00a0celebrity active in the city who\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0resist\u00a0touring\u00a0the department store.\u00a0\u201cBeing in Havana and not going into El Encanto was like coming to the capital and not having your picture taken on the steps of the Capitol Building,\u201d\u00a0argues journalist Leonardo Depestre in\u00a0<\/span>Cien\u00a0sucesos\u00a0memorables\u00a0en\u00a0La Habana<\/span><\/i>. The list of visitors is extensive and illustrious. During his fortuitous stopover in December 1930, the genius Albert Einstein bought a\u00a0\u201cjipijapa\u201d\u00a0hat there and, at the request of the elder Sol\u00eds, agreed to have his portrait taken in the studio.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several Hollywood stars became\u00a0familiar\u00a0faces to the employees and staff. John Wayne ordered custom-made shirts from the tailor; Ray\u00a0Milland\u00a0stocked up on sportswear; Tyrone Power, Cesar Romero, Pedro Vargas, Errol Flynn and even Cosa Nostra trustee Meyer Lansky visited the men\u2019s department to buy Italian silk shirts and ties. Miroslava Stern, a Czech\u00a0actress\u00a0who made a career in Mexican\u00a0films, insisted that her\u00a0movie\u00a0costumes come from El Encanto. Mar\u00eda F\u00e9lix preferred the French Salon, which imitated a room in the Palace of Versailles and offered personalized service to ladies requesting the\u00a0\u201cunique and unrepeatable\u201d\u00a0trousseaus of Manet, the in-house designer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0\u201csuperstore\u201d\u00a0image was backed by an enviable organizational structure and a groundbreaking communication system. El Encanto was a pioneer in business intelligence, inventory control, marketing and advertising investment in newspapers and magazines, including international publications like\u00a0<\/span>Vogue<\/span><\/i>. We can still verify in those archive pages that their expert advertisers\u00a0\u201cenchanted\u201d\u00a0customers based on the philosophy of the\u00a0\u201cunique\u201d\u00a0product, with messages saturated with hyperbole and focusing their arguments on the exclusivity,\u00a0components\u00a0and benefits of their items.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But El Encanto\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0limit itself to the chic retail model; the management expanded its charitable activities and its integration into the sociocultural landscape. Exhibitions,\u00a0concerts\u00a0and conferences were held in the upstairs Green Room.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Starting in 1934, they championed the alliance between private businesses and intellectuals by\u00a0establishing\u00a0the Justo de Lara Annual\u00a0Award, consisting of a diploma and one thousand pesos for the best opinion piece published in the national press. The first recipient was Jorge\u00a0Ma\u00f1ach, with\u00a0\u201cEl\u00a0estilo\u00a0de la\u00a0Revoluci\u00f3n\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0in which he highlighted the need for Cuba\u2019s complete renewal\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and until its\u00a0expiration\u00a0in 1957, the initiative honored 24 gems of Cuban journalism.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since El Encanto burned down.\u2026<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

On the night of April 13, 1961, the\u00a0department\u00a0store\u00a0\u2014\u00a0by then nationalized by the Revolution\u00a0\u2014\u00a0closed, as usual, around seven o\u2019clock. Shortly after, two bombs treacherously hidden in the clothing section exploded. Like a living dragon, the fire crawled through the five floors, devouring one\u00a0ddepartment\u00a0after another, until it reduced the colossal building to a crater of rubble and ash. The terrorist act left one fatality, Fe del Valle, and 18 wounded; three thousand people lost their jobs that\u00a0dark day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEver since El Encanto burned down, Havana feels like a provincial town. To think they used to call it the Paris of the Caribbean; at least\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what the tourists and the prostitutes said. Havana is more like a Tegucigalpa of the Caribbean, not only because they destroyed El Encanto and there are few good things in the\u00a0stores, but also because of the people,\u201d\u00a0the protagonist\u2019s alter ego in\u00a0<\/span>Memories of Underdevelopment<\/span><\/i>\u00a0states\u00a0categorically; while a danz\u00f3n plays in the background and Sergio\u2019s telescope focuses on Mart\u00ed\u2019s aphorism about the dilemma of accepting our bitter\u00a0(wine)\u00a0destiny.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The almost legendary building, a temple to elegance and an emblem of scrupulous service, has joined the infamous list of architectural losses and\u00a0to the detriment of\u00a0real estate in a city with a canopy of wonder, but which has progressed to the point of irreversibility; to the point of seeming condemned to never rise from its miseries and incapable of salvaging its shattered vanity. The site where the proud spirit of the royal palm once took root, at the foot of whose trunk dynamic\u00a0Spaniards\u00a0raised to the sky an offering of fervor for the future, never again had the same\u00a0enchantment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Established by Asturians and transformed into a center of glamour and commercial success, it was \u201cmore than a store, a national institution.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12346255,"featured_media":331443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13902,13912],"tags":[22988,35060],"ppma_author":[34888],"class_list":["post-331440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cuba","category-cuban-history","tag-cuban-history","tag-el-encanto"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMemories of El Encanto, the department store Havana lost | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"El Encanto: Established by Asturians and transformed into a center of glamour, it was \u201cmore than a store, a national institution.\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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