The Sneakers Box - NIGRA MERCATO, A NEIGHBORHOOD STREETWEAR GALLERY

Nigra Mercato, one of Madrid’s finest stores just opened up at a new location… and it's a banger. Madrid, Spain has been popping as of late. Host city to a number of major events and with major players emerging from that scene, one store name seems to be a recurring topic of discussion. Nigra Mercato, best known for their unique communication methods and savvy social media tricks, opened their doors to a new location a few days ago. It seems like overnight, the store tripled in size, going from the ever-so-crowded space at Calle Lope de Vega 2, they jumped 100 paces down the street to Calle Lope de Vega number 29, and the space looks clean and beautiful. Designed by architects Jaime Erice and Pedro Chueca, the store goes from run-of-the-mill to true concept.     What’s the concept? We spoke to the owners Fran and Dani who stated that initially they were putting together a new store with elements from different stores around the globe they liked, but the architect duo insisted on adding concept to the mix, until they came up with this: “Nigra Mercato” means black market in esperanto, and black market has to do with hard-to-find goods, pieces that are in a submerged market and many times in a legal grey area. But also, black market many times has clear ties to the art world, and this is something that Nigra has always been a part of, with local artists and including these artists in their own campaigns- so it made sense to go after this approach, focus on art. “We saw the opportunity of turning the already great space into a piece of art itself, modern art, at that." And it becomes pretty clear and apparent when walking in. The true protagonist of the store is the product within it. Clean white walls with pegs supporting the sneakers, but looking beyond that, a beautiful slate black line along the wall accompanies the customer throughout the store. It forms everything, from shelves to benches, all the way to the back of the store, wrapping around a caged-off office area and back to the door.     “The idea was to turn this store into a piece of modern art. We see it on a daily basis in museums, clean canvas' that have one single element that breaks and makes the harmony of the piece." The store is no different: beautiful floors, high ceilings and two colors: black and white. Adding sneakers, which are a piece of art themselves to the mix, and the results are great. "We’re really happy with the turnout” said Jaime. Dani and Fran are no strangers to change, Fran comes from the marketing world, and Dani had a closer relationship with the sneaker scene working at shops, were both collectors and streetwear enthusiasts. They embarked on this journey together three years ago. If something is clear, is that their aggressive approach to the business has taken the city by whim, but their close relationship to customers is what definitely wins the people over. “This has always been a major key for us and in this case the consumer and the owner are one and the same. It's the reason why there isn’t a traditional cash register in the store now, there is no divider between customer and us. We’re equal”. We got a chance to visit the store, have a few drinks and chat sneakers with the two. As well as some up and coming projects… but we’ll tell you about those in the near future!   NIGRA MERCATO Calle Lope de Vega, 29 28014 Madrid | SPAIN   Pics by Jaime Erice Torán