The story that we are continuing today goes to one of the most emblematic shops of Gaditan in a large part of the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century, in the shops of Solves.
The business began in Eduardo Dato Street (today Nono) in 1924. The owner, Andrés Looses, would open men’s shirts and accessories, called Camisería Looses, which would soon find a place in the city. All the work was done in advance, so that measurements could not be taken.
At the age of 14, in 1925, Salvador Alcaraz joined Parrado as a recruit, who was trained by the master of the military, Andrés Solves, who had no children and with whom they had a good relationship.
As a matter of fact, Salvador was acquiring services in business. During one of his trips to Barcelona in 1936, he came up with a trade deal. Gades did not return until the end of the war, and at that stage he was covered and recruited by well-known artists and businesses.
At that time, the house of the Blázquez family in the street of Eduardo Dato was burned down and he arrived at the Looses warehouse, which had some marble columns that were burned, spreading the fire inside the warehouse.
In 1939, at the end of the war, Andrés Solves would open new tables to pay in the Plaza del Palillero, at the corner of Columela.
There he sets up a shirt shop and incorporates tailoring. Family members still remember the names of employees from that time, such as tailor José Barreiro and shirtmaker Muñoz. Through the process of time, with the retirement of the tailor Barreiro and the shirtmaker Muñoz and because the clientele changes the concept and stop making tailored suits and ready-to-buy, the store begins to specialize in various things, such as gifts and leather. goods, reaching one of the most frequented stores in the city of Gaditan. In 1960, Andrés Solves died, and his widow, Emilia Belizón, without children and with her husband’s express will, sold the business to his lifelong manager, Salvador Alcaraz Parrado.
At that time, Miranda’s son Carlos Alcaraz joined the business and later his son Emilio, who was with him as a child, was known. Over time, Emilio Alcaraz Miranda, his father having died, succeeded in business and provided him with goods.
In 1982, Purificación López Alcázar married Emilio Alcaraz, the couple once granted him domestic obligations. Combining cleaning with business, he fully immerses himself in different activities, and among other things, he dedicates himself to the famous opella windows, which he enjoyed and had a passion for. Their posterity remembers the birthdays when the most sales were made that year. At that moment they united the whole family to participate and collaborate in the sale of various things. The supply, in the last season, survived with the love and diligence of the owners. It was open to the public until Emilio Alcaraz turned 65 in 2011. That year, the historic museum closed its doors because the financial situation was not viable.
Carlos Alcaraz Miranda and Emilio Alcaraz López are thanked for their collaboration and images in the article.
