This is Stick No Bills, a store for lovers of vintage posters. This store is located in Ciutat Vella, specifically behind the Santa Caterina market. It was a couple of British entrepreneurs who opened the store in the city, in a store dedicated to vintage posters.
History of Stick No Bills
Stick No Bills, founded by Meg and Philip, originated from a shared passion for art and a mission to celebrate and preserve a visual heritage. The couple has a background in international business and design. They also seized the opportunity in the vintage poster market which they combined with their skills and interests. It is worth noting, for Meg Gage Williams, that it is impossible to believe that this location that opened its third vintage poster store was formerly a hardware store. So, she thinks it is an iconic location, just behind the Santa Caterina market. As the British businesswoman explains that this is a very interesting neighborhood for her, as she lived for many years in the Catalan city and the memory of it has made her return.
Posters hung in the establishment
This is how she refers, while sitting on one of the vintage sofas, which she placed to give a retro feel like that of the posters that hang in the establishment where tourists are not allowed to enter, pointing out the following: “Barcelona is at the center of the world”. Stick No Bills is the third store to be opened by Gage Williams, in addition to those in other tourist destinations such as Sri Lanka and Mallorca. It should be noted that she has resided in these three places and started in the Asian country with her husband, Philip James Baber. They collected posters and opened their first store and online store. The collection of posters starred James Bond, Hollywood or Bolluwood. Those who promptly observed customers who preferred to those who illustrated them to the cities and places known in Sri Lanka in the late nineteenth century.
Poster collection
In his vast collection Stick No Bills spans several decades and styles, these posters range from colorful advertisements from the golden age of tourism to movie posters. These posters made a difference for the time, with each piece being a work of art. Vintage posters are an explosion of design and creativity. As well as a representation of the social and cultural trends of the respective times.
Investment partner Carlos Andreu Cantarell
The request was to land in Mallorca, where they moved to after they went to live in Sri Lanka. It was when Carlos Andreu Cantarell, a businessman from Barcelona, became an investment partner that helped them get a place in the city. But, they do not agree to detail the investment. This involves setting up the store in Ciutat Vella, where five workers have already been hired. There are already 650 posters in Barcelona, where they have 2,000 more in the warehouse. Where it stands out this recovery that has elaborated posters of the store in Santa Eulalia luxury mode. Likewise, they were conceived during the 20s and 30s of the last century. Which were signed by artists such as José-Luis Rey Vila.
Poster prices
As for the prices of the posters, they range from 4 euros for postcards to 29 and 39 euros for posters. On the other hand, when it is not limited editions, it is between 45 euros and 795 euros. On the other hand, when the poster is larger, the one hanging in the store, with the letters of Barcelona. The value goes up to 16,000 euros. According to Gage Williams, the following remarks: “They are not the typical souvenir”, who thinks that stores like his are only for visitors that abound in a less Barcelonian neighborhood, which favors to project to the city. As you can see, Stick No Bills is a store for those who love visual history and vintage art. Thanks to its commitment, quality and authenticity, the store has earned a special place in the hearts of those who love art worldwide. So, whether you are looking for a specific piece or simply want to lose yourself in images from the past, Stick No Bills is the ideal place to take your journey.
