About us
Our history
Patricia and Mateo are Black Market. Through strange and (we believe) romantic circumstances we met in La Gomera, an island where we were working at the time and where we made our home. During the ten years that we lived in the town of Valle Gran Rey we established a close friendship with Guido Tersa, a former art scout who became the owner of a small store that sold products from West Africa... The store was called Black Market.
We agreed with Guido in the love we felt for Africa, a huge continent that the three of us had crossed for different reasons: Guido looking for art, Mateo saving endangered species and Patricia looking for adventure. In Black Market of la Gomera we spent a lot of time talking about this and that surrounded by masks, fetishes and colorful fabrics, and always wrapped in that perfume that the Senegalese call thiouraye.
In 2009 we decided to leave La Gomera and, after several work and economic vicissitudes, in 2013 we met Guido again, but not in La Gomera, but on the roads of Africa. Our friend was then able to show us where, how and what to buy so we could set up a store like his on another island: in Mallorca.
And why objects from Africa? Because Africa is our passion and because we want to offer something different.
Porque lo diseñado y fabricado con máquinas está muy bien pero, ¿qué me dices de lo soñado y creado por las manos del hombre? ¿no te parece igualmente inspirador? Estos objetos están cargados de magia, han presenciado rituales, se han impregnado de pátinas variadas y han viajado por varios continentes... ¿te atreverías a combinarlos?
We propose an African touch in your space that will provide contrast, warmth, color, magic and a story to tell. Black Market offers unique handcrafted objects, with the beauty of the imperfect and worn by use or the passage of time. Ask us and Mateo will explain to you what ethnic group it belongs to, what its use is or what ancestor it invokes. With a sculpture, a bronze, a terracotta or an African fabric you will be able to break standards and impact the visitor with its expressive strength.
And..., at the same time —and that makes us very happy and proud— we also ensure that communities with few resources can get ahead and that ancestral craft techniques transmitted for centuries from generation to generation are not lost.
Mateo presenting one of our books about reptiles:
Our greatest thanks go to Guido Tersa, founder of Black Market in La Gomera, for having shared all the wisdom and experience acquired over so many years in this hard and exciting task of trading fairly with people from such diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Our evolution
2013
In 2013 we opened our first store in Palma. The store, strategically located on the central Paraires street, although small in size, housed a large number of products carefully placed on the walls, floor and ceiling, creating an atmosphere of a treasure cave. However, due to space limitations and circumstances resulting from the pandemic, we were forced to look for a new location.
2020
Not only did we survive during the pandemic, but we also took a big step forward. In the hottest days of August 2020, we moved to a charming place on Guixers Street, very close to the old one. This new space, much larger and with a loft, gave us the opportunity to display the fabrics that had always been stored.
2023
Our neighborhood El Terreno, In the shadow of majestic villas and modern colorful buildings, it is in the midst of a renaissance and the emblematic premises of the Picornell hair salon, opened in 1928, are for rent. We don't let him escape. It is the perfect time for a new beginning and to join a trend that wants to transform a neighborhood into what it once was. The spaciousness of this premises allows us to import furniture. And here we continue...
What others say about Black Market