At the end of September 1883, the inauguration of the spectacular grocery store of the Vic sausage company, owned by the accredited businessmen Torra and San, was celebrated. In 1876 it had already been recognized as a supplier to the Royal House. Until then, manufacturing was manual, but in 1883 they introduced steam, the first in Spain in this specialty. In 1900, the renowned architect Enric Sagnier designed his enormous new building to house a remarkably growing industry.
It confirmed their category that they decided to settle in Barcelona, ??but not anywhere. The retail store was located at Portaferrissa, 1, corner of Rambla, on the ground floor of the Moja palace, then owned by the Marquis of Comillas. And in 1886 the office was installed at Passeig de Gràcia, 31.
All this fits with the fact that the decorative project of the grocery store was commissioned to the young architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner; and under his direction the following artisans recreated what he had drawn: Francesc Guardia, in carpentry; Antoni Grillo, in sculpture and carving; Saumell and Vilaró, in decorative painting; Josep Oliver, in lampmaking; Pere Màrtir Sancristòfol, in locksmithing; Josep Amigó, in glass engraving; Silviano Marsili, in marble, and Gaietà Pié, in weighing devices.
Sausages from the factory hung from the ceiling alternating with sausages from Vic and Lyon, mortadella from Bologna or salami from Naples: right in the center a gigantic local sausage weighing 100 kilos deserved the spotlight.
According to the chronicles, the quality of the worked walnut in a cabinetry that lined the establishment, as well as the paintings that enhanced the glass in the style of enameled earthenware, attracted the admiration of the public. The unfinished illumination promised. No expense had been spared, therefore.
The young Domènech i Montaner had until then concentrated on designing buildings and this was his first work as a decorator; perhaps that is why it remained unknown.
The grocery stores were a novelty, despite the fact that in 1849 Nepomuceno del Conde Núñez already opened Del Colmado at Escudellers, 6. In 1881 and at Ferran, 18, Las Colonias doors were built, owned by Llovet and Mumbrú. The grocery stores will become the most attractive in Eixample by opting for the Ildefons Cerdà chamfer.
