Gustavo is one of the most experienced in the flea market. His first time was in 1975, so he is part of the history, memories, and crazy adventures of those first years of the Hippy Market. When he arrived, the Es Canar flea market had already been operating for 2 years, he started developing wooden didactics, puppets, marionettes. And he also made some forays into ceramics and glass. Always creating personal designs. After a few years of hiatus, he returned to the flea markets because he had many ideas in his head and many things to do. These days, he and his wife work together as artisans, and everything they sell is the product of their imagination and their hands. They describe themselves as recycled hippies, because from the year onwards they started studying and ended up being graphic designers and industrial designers. They had ideas boiling in their heads that this was the only way to make it real in front of the public. Currently, the products they sell at the flea market are magnets, bookmarks, posters, stickers, decals, pins… everything related to design. And they apply these same designs to the different articles they produce. With a simple lifestyle and away from the consumer society, they live with the minimum to live happily. He tells us ironically about the size of their business: “Our business is too big, the size of the dining table at home. When we want to eat, we have to fold the business.”
How do they see the figure of the craftsman today?
They are very hopeful that the boom of Chinese goods has come to an end, and the craftsmen are valued again. The prices of products made in China have made that for 10 or 12 years the craftsmen disappeared from the map. Now most of them are very happy because the public has already started to buy those things they know are exclusive. They want a unique piece, that there are no two alike, instead of mass production.
Being one of the veterans, what do you miss from that time?
With a smile, he confesses that he doesn’t miss anything, as each era was good and different. The one they are living in right now is exceptional, and remembering the past is very nice to laugh and celebrate the things they did well and, why not, also the blunders they made.
Some anecdotes to tell:
In those years, any hippie who returned to their origins did so because they were claimed by their families, who were of a very high purchasing power. Before leaving, they would give away the cars they had and leave them as a gift to the closest person. One was given to me, a Volkswagen that we all used, since it didn’t have an ignition key. Until one day the police threatened that I had to legalize it and we saw no other alternative than to give it a dignified burial together. We all, the hippies, went to San Vicente beach and had an extraordinary party to take the car, which was in perfect condition, to the cemetery. It was a very nice farewell because the car had a name, it was called La Petronia. And like this one, there are a thousand stories to tell from that crazy and free time in Ibiza, where Hollywood superstars mingled with hippies. It was a healthy and natural relationship between everyone, without class differences; everyone was in Ibiza and wanted to enjoy the island, themselves and have a good time.