By Soller Shirley
Village houses in Soller of a certain size have an ‘Entrada’ on the ground floor. For those who love the cobbles of an original entrada it is a throwback to the days when it was not unusual to find the odd goat, sheep or pig wintering there. These days some designers preserve the cobbles, but most get rid of them and tile them over, with the latest ceramic designs.
Cobbled entradas are the stuff of shop floors and the trend toward converting the ground floor level of the house into commercial or office premises. Permissions for this kind of conversion have to be granted. You can’t just suddenly decide to turn your home into a shop without the Town Hall being involved.
So, having got the correct paperwork what can you do? The biggest selling point for a family business is there is no rent to pay. The difference to the end price between retailers working from rented premises or from their Entrada should be marked. Often it is not…
To be or not to be – a shop… One of Soller’s best loved hairdressers is retiring. For years she has worked from her Entrada. One of the pleasures of her retirement is getting the space back and incorporating it into her home again. No longer living above the shop is a pleasure for the family.
A fine restaurant of the past, in Calle Isabel (still in some guidebooks) is now a palatial family home. The entrada restaurant concept no longer worked for the family. This still doesn’t stop people knocking on the door to make a reservation.
Living above the shop is still a big feature in Mallorca. No rent to pay and minimal travel time to work is a great attraction…
