I have plenty to tell you about this unique and traditional Spanish store, but I want to share with you what happened to one of my dearest friends on one of her visits. Casa Hernanz is located at one the exits/entrances of Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, which makes it almost impossible to miss it if you are passing by. And this was the case one sunny afternoon when I decided to tell my friend about its famous espadrilles and its famous customers, including Queen Sofía of Spain. Of course, we went in and strangely enough we didn’t have to wait in line.

One of the best things about shopping here is that you can choose one of the options displayed at the window in almost any color and size. While my friend waited for her first 3 options, a girl waiting to pay for her new shoes started to tell us how she was replacing her old espadrilles for some new ones now that she was going back home (Mexico). Of course, my friend asked for the same model this girl took in another color. And just at that moment, the old guy going back and forth with new orders (no half numbers in this store), who had not been very friendly until then, realized how much money he was about to make with my friend’s purchase. He smiled and took some pictures of the 2 foreigners with new espadrilles while giving us (and you) the best impression of Casa Hernanz.