Manteros
On the Barcelona seafront cyclists weave to avoid the many street vendors selling counterfeit designer stuff aimed at tourists. These Manteros – Blanketeers – have their goods spread out on blankets, ready to gather up and run should the police appear, which they often do.
Barcelona was proud to welcome these mainly West African migrants, but some now scorn them as an illegal threat to legitimate businesses. The right wing Popular Party complains it’s an issue of “taking up public space”, and of increased crime rates, accusations rarely levelled at the much more numerous tourists.
Under current immigration law new arrivals can’t work legally as they need an employment contract which must be applied for from their country of origin. Many will end up as Manteros as a matter of survival. It’s no-ones dream to sell pirated trainers while on the run.
Efforts are being made: local social enterprise Diomcoop targets mainly Senegalese migrants, providing a framework in which they can work legally in fashion, craft and gastronomy (areas in which many of them already have experience).
Off-shoot clothing brand Diambaar allows them to make and sell clothes, and now sells through shops all over Barcelona. Their own store is at 315, Carrer de la Independencia, a location handy for the Sagrada Familia, the Hospital de Sant Pau (recommended) or Glories market.
Top Manta “legal clothes made by illegal people”
The union of street vendors have opened a shop in the Raval, around the corner from Macba, to sell their own merchandise. Their t-shirts are pretty distinctive (perfect take-home gifts!) - even the teenagers approved. Top Manta (13, Carrer d’En Roig)