Kiosk that has sweetened the life of people in Benalmádena for 61 years lowers its shutters

First it was a green wooden kiosk, one of those that existed in the old days. Strategically located on the corner of Calle Velarde and Calle Sierramar, where the daily life of Arroyo de la Miel was concentrated in the '60s, its owner, José González, began selling sweets, soft drinks and various other wares to the children and adults of the time. A few years later, the wooden hut was consigned to history and José's kiosk became a metal one, in keeping with the aesthetics of the time. The location in Benalmádena remained the same, although the clientele changed as the children of the neighbourhood grew up, as did the population of Arroyo de la Miel.

Like everything else, José also evolved and ended up buying premises right next door, in Calle Sierramar, where he set up his kiosk, which now, 61 years later, has just closed its doors. José's son, Francisco, inherited the business and employed his two sisters, Dori and María. Now all three are retiring and there will be no generational replacement in a business that "is very slave-like", says María.

"This type of business offers the minimum, it has very little margin and in order for it to work it has to be open very long hours. We start at eight in the morning and finish at eleven at night, every day. We are only closed on 1 January and 25 December", explained María.

Anyone would think that after a lifetime of working at this pace, now that retirement is coming, she would have plenty of hours to spare, but she is clear that she does not: "I have two children with disabilities", she said and it is clear that no further explanation is needed. "We will go to the beach more, to the countryside and if we can, we will take a trip. What I want is health, the rest comes on its own," she says.

With the closure of this sweet shop, a business model is going out of business. "There are no more places here selling sweets like there used to be," said María, adding, half jokingly, half seriously, that apart from selling sweets, magazines and newspapers, "we have been the psychological centre of Arroyo de la Miel".

"That's true", one of the customers in the shop is quick to point out. "There are few shops left where they offer you their sensitivity and empathy, as they did here," the customer insists.

One by one, María said goodbye to all the customers who pass through on the shop's last day open to the public. "Of course I feel sorry for them, it's been many years," she said. "We have seen four generations pass through here, and we have come to know the parents, the children, the grandchildren and even the great-grandchildren of the same family. I got my teeth into this business," she explained, and then wonders aloud where she will have to go to buy the newspaper the day this report comes out. "It will be the first time that instead of selling the paper, I will have to go and buy it."

Since the middle of this week, the Quiosco José has been closed to the public and is awaiting a buyer for the premises. Only a few days before, María's daughter organised a farewell party, in which a large part of the neighbourhood, the clientele and even political authorities took part.