Today, el Colmado is a decor, fashion and accessories shop specialising in items made from natural materials: basketry, rugs, home textiles, hats, bags and other pieces that fit the Mediterranean aesthetic of Cadaqués. It stands on Carrer del Doctor Callís, number 12, within the maze of narrow, cobbled streets of the historic centre.
The memory of an old shop
No public documentation has been found so far that would tell us exactly when the business opened, who its first owners were or for how many years it operated as a grocery shop.
There is, however, a photographic record that helps to understand part of its evolution. A photograph taken on 6 May 2006 and published by photographer Gaby Prado describes the Colmado as an «old general store, now turned into a clothing shop». This reference confirms that the premises had previously had a more general commercial function and that, by 2006, it had already been converted into a fashion establishment.
Old general stores were shops where a wide range of everyday products could be found. They were establishments typical of a time when shops were not as specialised as they are now, and they were a regular meeting point for the village's inhabitants.
Over the years, the business gradually evolved into today's decor and accessories shop, while keeping the name Colmado and a traditional-looking façade that keeps the shop's commercial memory alive.
A façade that is part of the Cadaqués landscape
A big part of the Colmado's charm lies precisely in this blend of past and present. The name recalls the old village shops, while the products that fill the windows today —natural fibres, baskets, rugs, fabrics and accessories— connect with a Mediterranean way of life, simple and tied to natural materials.
Its red façade also creates a very particular contrast with the white walls and stone streets of the old town. This image has made it a regular stop for visitors, photographers and people wandering the streets of central Cadaqués in search of some of its most characterful corners.
The Colmado, an Estrella Damm setting
In 2026, the Colmado took this visual journey a step further by appearing in Estrella Damm's summer campaign, titled La leyenda de Canyut.
The ad, released on 11 June 2026 to mark the brand's 150th anniversary, presents a legend-like story set in different landscapes of the Catalan coast. The chosen locations include Cadaqués, the island of s'Arenella, the s'Alguer cove in Palamós, Tossa de Mar and the Garraf.
In one of the scenes filmed in the streets of Cadaqués, actor Oriol Pla appears right in front of the Colmado's façade, on Carrer del Doctor Callís. The shop's role in the campaign is expressly documented in the shooting report published by the newspaper ARA.
The production brings together numerous figures from film, music, gastronomy, sport and content creation, including Laia Costa, Álvaro Cervantes, Oriol Pla, Jordi Roca, Santi Balmes, Mushkaa, Rels B, Marc Cucurella, Eric Garcia and Clàudia Pina. The story is accompanied by the song Wouldn't It Be Nice, by The Beach Boys.
A small village icon
There may still be much to discover about the exact origins of the Colmado: the date it first opened, the people who ran it or the products sold during its early years.
What can be said is that the premises have been able to transform without losing their visual identity. From an old general store to a clothing shop and, later, a decor and accessories establishment, the Colmado remains part of the commercial landscape of Cadaqués.
Its appearance in a nationwide television campaign only confirms something that visitors had already discovered while strolling through the village streets: that sometimes a small façade, well preserved and full of character, can end up becoming a true icon.
Is the Canyut a real Cadaqués legend?
Despite how it is presented in the ad, the story of the Canyut is not a traditional documented legend of Cadaqués. It is a fiction created specifically for the Estrella Damm campaign, an original idea by advertising creative Oriol Villar.
The story, however, incorporates real elements that give it great plausibility: Cadaqués landscapes such as s'Arenella, streets and shops of the village, the involvement of retired fisherman Dionís Baró and some parallels with the life of painter Xavier González Arnau, who plays the Canyut.
The result is a contemporary advertising legend built from settings, voices and experiences linked to the Mediterranean, but not a story traditionally passed down among the people of Cadaqués.
Watch the ad
Watch «La leyenda de Canyut», Estrella Damm's official 2026 ad, on YouTube