Have I told you lately how much I love my new barrio? I’m actually situated between two barrios. On the Plaza Alfalfa side there are supermarkets, bakeries, fish markets, a gourmet butcher, florist, “euro shop”, convenience store, pharmacy, fruit & veg shop, a “calentaria” for churros, and great non-touristy tapas bars. On the plaza Encarnación side there’s the fabulous farmer’s market under “the Setas”.

And in between the two plazas are some of the most interesting little boutiques in town.

I’m a great admirer of the entrepreneurial spirit and so I was particularly pleased when I came across Soho Benita on Twitter the other day and saw that the shop owners in my barrio – on calles Pérez Galdós and Don Alonso el Sabio – have formed a collective venture to help promote their shops and the area.  According to Penélope from Le Voilà, the basic idea is to create a neighbourhood feel with its own identity in these streets. Through collective activities they hope to create a shopping & cultural alternative to traditional commerical trade.

The first obvious difference I saw when I went out yesterday was that the Soho Benita shops all had pretty white pointsetta arrangements in their windows and doorways, a visual continuity that created a nice community feeling. I also like how they are using social media, specifically Twitter, to connect with the public.

If you are looking for unique style and great personal service check out the new Soho Benita area. Some of the shops are shown in the collage above, and below is a list with links to blogs and websites.

• Delimbo
• Florypondio 
• Isadora
• Kinema
• La Importadora
• La Mia Tana
• Le Voilà
• Manolito por Dios 
• Patricia Buffana
• Taranta
• Zález