Roto Upcycling, the Malaga shop for nostalgics and collectors

This unique antique shop in the city centre sells original items from different eras of the past

Isabel Méndez

Malaga

Tuesday, 10 September 2024, 09:45

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This is not a bookshop, although it sells books, nor is it a toy shop, although they are sold here too. It is impossible to put Roto Upcycling into one category, just as it is impossible not to feel moved on entering this shop, which is steeped in nostalgia. Tin soldiers, 'estampitas' (saint cards), rotary dial telephones, and the gypsy flamenco dolls that were typically found sat on top of television sets. These are just some of the items that can be found in Roto, located in Malaga city centre.

It is not a typical antique shop, far from it - even the founder, Javier Ruiz, describes it as "a very unusual shop". October will mark two years since its opening in this location. Ruiz proudly notes how no two days here are the same.

"I have a lot of fun here. Every day I say that I am coming for a birthday, because every day is a surprise." With being next to the Atarazanas market, his small shop receives a lot of tourists, but also people who have come to browse around, encouraged to enter by the impressive shop window, which features Mazinger Z, records, lamps and paintings. Some people even bring different objects they have at home to see if they might have a place here. "Many people come to bring me things they have in their storage rooms or at home which they do not use, sometimes they give them to me as gifts and sometimes they sell them to me. Every time I receive something, I have to check what is worthwhile and what is not, there is a lot of work that goes into it," says Ruiz, who has to register everything he collects in case of a police inspection.

Imagen principal - Ruiz, holding a world map on which he takes note of where some of his customers have come from, and some of the other objects that can be found in Roto. — Ruiz, holding a world map on which he takes note of where some of his customers have come from, and some of the other objects that can be found in Roto. Ñito Salas

Imagen secundaria 1 - Ruiz, holding a world map on which he takes note of where some of his customers have come from, and some of the other objects that can be found in Roto. — Ruiz, holding a world map on which he takes note of where some of his customers have come from, and some of the other objects that can be found in Roto. Ñito Salas

Imagen secundaria 2 - Ruiz, holding a world map on which he takes note of where some of his customers have come from, and some of the other objects that can be found in Roto.

Books, insects, electronic items, miniature cars, old photographs, Easter guides and fashion accessories are also part of Roto's inventory. Ruiz also sells items which he upcycles to give them a new life, such as key rings or earrings made from metal plates and toy parts.

Ruiz says that he has been "collecting all his life, I've always liked it". When he was 50 years old and out of work, he decided to set up this project, which he started back in 2016 on Calle La Regente with the help of his family. Later, the opportunity to move to the city centre arose, and he did not hesitate to take it. Now, almost two years on, he admits to being "very happy" with the change and satisfied with what he has achieved. "You become part of a family here too, with those who work nearby, those who come here frequently."

Although he does not give in to passing trends, Ruiz does acknowledge that collecting "is also evolving, transforming itself", and that neither stamps nor coins, which years ago were essentials for collectors, are as popular nowadays. In his opinion, what is most appreciated today is everything that reminds us of times gone by, especially of childhood. "Nostalgia is highly valued," he says.

Being reminded of times past, finding an original gift, or simply discovering how certain tastes and customs have evolved, are all part of this Malaga shop that recovers the feel of the past while looking towards the future.

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