Cal Pep

His father hung the sign: yellow letters on green, CAL PEP. He invested a lot in that establishment, and the business gave them a good life for many years. He treated the customers as if they were family and knew exactly what each one ordered: the cortados, black coffees, and lattes.

Pep Jr. eagerly took over the business when his father retired. He also knows who takes saccharine, who's going through a tough time, who needs to chat a while to ward off loneliness...

But thirty years later, things have changed a lot, and a multinational has opened next door, selling much cheaper. Fewer and fewer people come to Cal Pep, and he's been fighting against red numbers for months. That's why, on Tuesday, his shutters will close for the last time. Paquita will be left with half a conversation, the yellow-on-green sign will be gone, no one will ever know what coffee each person drinks again...

We dedicate this biography to all the Peps and Cal Peps who, whether they sell nails, sewing thread, shoes, or coffee, close their shutters in Catalonia every day, taking with them a legacy of knowledge, memories, and stories that will never return.

Thank you for your great service, and long live the Cal Peps who are still resisting!