The Bailèn bar t-shirt from Barcelona shows off a small bottle of wine on the back and a series of drawings related to the bar on the back. Another bottle of wine, an olive, a sandwich, a croissant, a coffee… silhouetted and with a slight movement. Whether they dance or not, they are the best letter of introduction of this place that opened in January 2024. In principle, the t-shirts had to be only for the staff, but to amortize the cost they made a few extra ones, and put them on sale . They liked them so much that they have become a promotional product for this establishment, which has them displayed in three colors on the side of the bar. But in this bar they are not alone. For some time now, new bars and cafes have had their own merchandising. So neither football nor band, the t-shirts that are proudly worn now are those of the trusted bar.
Behind the bar, Camila Cañón, the manager of Bar Bailèn, says that “modern bars have created a community.” He hasn’t calculated it because it is very variable, but he assures that he sells more than a dozen t-shirts from the bar every month. Regular customers take it, but also some tourists and they normally buy it, for 20 euros, after having had breakfast or lunch here. They are the work of the Younameit studio, which has been in charge of the entire graphic image of the bar.
Camila Cañon behind the bar of the Bar Bailèn in Barcelona.Gianluca Battista
Not far away, in Three Markswith a specialty cafeteria and roaster, are about to launch a new model of their t-shirts, and there are already four different ones since they created the first one. The design was explicit: it had the cafeteria’s logo, Mark’s name repeated three times because that is what the three founders are called, in white capital letters on a red square that took up the entire front. They made it for themselves, but soon loyal customers began to buy them.
For this coffee shop, t-shirts are not a priority, but “a way of building a brand and community,” defends Marc Aguyer, at the location on Ausiàs Marc Street, which is the window that allows them to interact closely with the most coffee-loving people. since a little over six years ago, when they opened it to support their main business, the coffee roaster that sells to the whole world. They are about to launch your next t-shirt, with a special collaboration, and will probably cost more than 30 euros.
The football style t-shirt from the Orval cafeteria in Barcelona.Gianluca Battista
There is no single pattern, the new bars or cafes that launch their own t-shirt are different, but they all have the common denominator of being modern, in the sense of being establishments run by young people who want to get away from the mainstream promoting closeness with its clientele, offering local products and a way of understanding informal hospitality, but with trendy interior design and design. In this sense, in Barcelona they also have their merchandising he diner Californian Gringa stylethe brand new Fame empanada shopthe cafeteria specialized in Alfar crescents, the Orval specialty cafe or the bar that claims the luxury of the La Vivi neighborhoodthe latter two with designs that emulate football kits.
Although he merchandising It is something older, it was the Beatles who turned it into a succulent business in the sixties, causing other groups to jump on the bandwagon of selling it to promote themselves and make cash. As with marching bands, the new merchandising bar isn’t just about t-shirts. At Three Marks they have made cloth bags at some point and take stickers to all the events they participate in. Also he leaves the Bocata Bar with a sticker or the new restaurant Glug, that they attach it to the account. After years of networking, it seems that returning to the marketing strategies of yesteryear works better than ever.
It’s not just a thing in Barcelona, but in the Catalan capital the trend is in full swing. Also in other Spanish cities, new stores are opening with t-shirts as their flag. It is the case of Etual Caféin Madrid, where in addition to specialty coffee, they have some very special t-shirts and caps, hand-embroidered by the Morocha studio. In white and navy blue tones, these garments carry the fun logos of the cafeteria, located in the Literary neighborhood, which are two characters glued to a coffee cup. In Ambu Coffeethey released a few months ago a tote bag with its letters clearly visible in a dark green tone.
It is not strange that in Neutral House have found out that the merch, because first of all they are a fashion brand, created in 2021, which has then opened cafes. Their t-shirts can be purchased at their three stores in Madrid and also at their canal online. “In other countries it has been done for years, especially in the United States,” says one of the partners, Jaime Gil, and believes that “the merch “It makes people connect more with a business, and a personal relationship is established with people.” Neutral, In addition, it has just launched a business line to develop promotional items quality for other bars and cafes that want to offer it to their customers, says Gil. One of his recent works has been for the Casa Costa restaurantlocated in the Barcelona neighborhood of Barceloneta.
Casa Neutrale T-shirt, in Madrid.
Also in Valencia they can boast of merchandising in establishments such as Fav Coffe, where they sell to the public the same t-shirts that their baristas wear. It is a white garment, with the cafeteria logo in red and some words that define them as terracita, moments o friendsit costs 35 euros. They opened two and a half years ago and are already thinking about offering other things like mugs and caps because the public is responding very well.
We find antecedents of this modern trend of merchandising bar in popular places like the winery The Boot of Malgrat de Mara place to buy roast chickens, but also in El Cortijiyo, on the Palmar beach in Vejer de la Frontera, where the they have in different colors. In addition, they show them off in tri-stars like El Celler de Can Roca. In the new Esperit Roca hotel there is a store where you can buy products related to the three Roca brothers, including t-shirts, sweatshirts and caps with the characteristic crazy R with three legs. It is no longer enough to feed, now diners are loyal with merch, as it is said colloquially.
The t-shirts from the Fav Coffee cafeteria, located in Valencia.
